Just Another Playing Piece
by pseudonympha
Summary: The notion of hiding in plain sight was something Tianxian Shi, recent escapee concubine of the Xing Empire, had always championed. However, considering that her flair for over-the-top theatrics had attracted the wrath of a subhuman megalomaniac and his gang of mentally unstable, near immortal hooligans, perhaps she took the idea a little too close to heart. (Ling/OC) UPDATED!
1. And You Are Who?

**Welcome, all! This is my first excursion in the the FMA fanfiction world, so thank you for giving my story a chance. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter One:**

 **"And You Are Who?"**

* * *

"Well, this is certainly a new low for you, sir." Riza Hawkeye murmured as she approached her superior's desk.

Despite hearing his most trusted subordinate's chastising drawl, Roy Mustang continued his half-sided phone conversation with Maes Hughes as he stared broodingly out of the office window. Feeling the draft of the warm autumn air, Roy mused that he must have opened one of the windowpanes in a sub-conscience desire to escape.

Really, it was such a nice day outside, the first sun Eastern Command had seen in weeks, yet here he was stuck under an avalanche of transfer papers and listening to his close friend coo on about his wife and child in such a sickeningly sweet manner that Roy could almost literally feel his teeth begin to rot from the sugary doting coming from the other end of the line.

Blankly taking in the sight that was sprawled across Roy's desk, Riza shifted her eyes towards the empty cubicles that lined the far wall, and determined that the rest of her coworkers had not arrived to work yet. It was not unusual for her and the Colonel to be the first to arrive for work in the mornings, however, what _was_ unusual was the curious sight perched upon the Colonel's desk, seemingly unbeknownst to said officer, and the fact that it was sending a dark glare in Riza's direction.

"I always knew you were partial to the exotic women of the East, sir, but if I may speak freely, to hire a prostitute, a foreign one at that, in the early morning hours, doesn't do much in favor of your image if you are serious about obtaining the office of Fuhrer in the near future. Much less one that appears to be underage."

Roy could barely make out the Lieutenant's words over Hughes' ramblings, but he was fairly certain he heard her use the phrase "exotic foreign prostitute." His eyes refocused to catch the deadpan expression of a stationary Riza reflected in the slightly ajar windowpane, but it was the sound of papers shuffling on his desk that caused Roy to slam the phone down on the receiver before whirling his chair around, his thumb and middle finger pressed together in the threat of a flame-producing snap.

Years of training in the Amestrian Military Academy and the time he spent on the frontlines of the Ishvalan Civil War did nothing to prepare Roy for the sight before him.

Sitting across his desk in what Roy and Riza could only describe as a provocative pose, was a young woman clad in the rich silken textiles of the Far East. The chin-length bob of inky black hair that framed her face and the dark hue of her eyes that rounded into the shape of almonds gave way to the fact that she was undeniably of Xingese descent. However, the most notable thing about the girl was the disgruntled look settled upon her face. The distortion didn't look like it belonged on such delicate features as her's.

"W-what the hell..." Roy sputtered as he lowered his gloved hand slightly and Riza tucked the pistol she had been aiming back into its holster precariously. "Who _are_ you?!"

The girl shifted her glower away from Riza to give Roy an appraising sweep of her eyes. It appeared she found whatever she may have been searching him for, because suddenly her expression lightened and she offered him a sultry smile. "Who am _I_?"

The two Amestrian officers tensed as the Xingese girl adjusted her position, so that the small amount of cleavage she had puckered the front of her crimson cheongsam jacket. Despite her overtly sexual advances, her outfit was rather conservative. The only peek of skin came from the area of calf left uncovered between the cuff of her blousy pants and her flat shoes. Still facing Roy, she continued, "Take a closer look, and you might recognize me. Now, who am I?"

Fighting down the impulse to stare at the chest being pushed at his eyelevel, albeit however small it may be, along with the help of Riza clearing her throat in what was clearly a warning signal, he quipped, "Looks like jailbait."

The foreigner looked puzzled for a moment, perhaps not clear with the language, though the look was almost immediately replaced with a prideful grin. With the refined movements of someone who clearly belonged to a higher social strata than the other two occupying the room, the girl drew herself up to her full height, back straight and chin high, from her kneeling position. She looked down her thin nose at Roy, and raised a hand to place it flatly against her chest in a pompous gesture before she began to speak.

"Though I am quite a bit offended that you appear not to know who I am, I suppose, since you are merely military personnel in the country that shall be offering me solace, I can let it pass." Though her Amestrian was thickly accented to the point of near gibberish, the haughty inflection in her tone was unmistakable. "I am the two hundred and sixteenth heir to the illustrious Shi Clan, the forty-seventh royal concubine of the current Emperor of Xing. Now that you are aware that you are in the presence of royalty, you no longer will have to fight the urge to bow at my feet. My name is Tianxian Shi, but to make it more comfortable for you, you may call me Your Royal Highness, Lady Shi."

Once she was finished speaking the room began to feel cramped. The sheer size of Tianxian's ego threatening to push the two officers out of the room if the thick layer of pomposity she had just demonstrated didn't smother them first. Roy's ego that usually made the office room stifling, paled greatly in comparison to the girth of this foreigner's vanity.

Tianxian looked between Roy and Riza, an expectant look upon her face. When neither gave any indication of awe, other than clear repulsion, a frown marred her exotic features. Why weren't these peasants genuflecting at her feet with eyes filled with tears of admiration? Had she not spoken clearly enough? Did she overestimate the intelligence of the Amestrian common people?

Deciding that they were perhaps just dimwitted, Tianxian opened her mouth to give a more simple introduction of her paramount importance when the blonde woman interrupted her.

"So, you are a foreign prostitute."

" _Concubine_."

Roy chimed in, "Isn't concubine just the politically correct term for prostitute?"

Tianxian scoffed. How dare these plebeians assume she was a street walker! Her ears burned red with anger, but the years of social refinement ingrained into her for the last half of a decade restrained her desire to speak with her fists to a simple twitch of the pinky finger.

" _No,_ but that is neither here nor there. Let us get down to business. I request an audience with the leader of this country. Take me to him at once."

Roy balked at the girl's demand before he thrust a reprimanding finger in her direction, to which she looked reproachfully at. "Listen, miss, you aren't exactly in the position to be making orders. How the hell did you get in here anyway?"

"The window." Tianxian said like it was the most obvious answer.

"We're on the fourth floor!"

"I climbed."

"Thirty feet?!"

"Fifty, actually. If you count the fact that I climbed to the fifth floor, but the window was locked, so I climbed back down to this one where the window conveniently had been opened."

"I was looking out of that window!"

"You are not very observant, then."

Realizing this conversation was quickly becoming derailed, Riza took the opportunity to address the younger woman. "Why are you here?"

"Hm?" Still sitting atop Roy's desk, Tianxian turned to glower once again at the woman with the audacity to label her as a prostitute twice. "Well, I am here to seek political asylum, of course."

Riza continued the conversation with, "Political asylum? Why would someone who clearly takes as much pride in her position as you need refuge from the government?"

"I came of age about three months ago." Though her voice never dipped from its obnoxiously regal tone, Tianxian nervously began to shred bits of paperwork between her fingers as Roy attempted to wrestle the important documents from her hands to no avail. "In Xing, the people are divided amongst fifty clans. Our ruler, the Emperor, presides at the top of that social stratum. The daughter of each clan's chief, or in my case, the daughter of a branch house when the mainline produces no female heir, becomes the representative of the clan through matrimony, and each becomes one of the Emperor's wives. Our singular duty is to please the Emperor and bare his children.

When a consort becomes of age, a ceremony of womanhood takes place. In this ceremony, the Emperor beds the concubine for the first time, cementing her womanhood and officiating the marriage. Now, a requirement for each consort is that her virginity remains intact until the ceremony. You would think it was made out of gold they way the elders harp on it."

Roy interrupted her story to question in a monotone voice, "Was that your way of telling us that you're not a virgin?"

" _No!_ It most certainly is not!" Tianxian cried as her face turned a ruddy shade that almost perfectly matched the color of her outfit. From embarrassment, exasperation, anger, or a combination of all three, he was unsure. "What I am trying to say is that I split town before that sickly old man had the chance to do the down and dirty with me with all his cronies watching for blood to trickle down my thigh!"

Roy and Riza were at a loss of words after Tianxian's sudden outburst. They made eye contact, the small look saying more things in a glance than they could if they were to actually speak, before turning back to the escapee consort that was now openly ripping the documents she had pilfered off of the desk in a fit of anxiety. The two continued to watch as the girl seemed to realize her mistake, dropping the crumpled papers in her hands, and taking a few breaths to calm herself before beginning again.

"Um, what I meant to say is that I would like to pursue asylum in Amestris, so that I may obtain political immunity from my husband, who undoubtedly will punish not only myself, but my entire clan for my transgressions if I were to return alive."

Riza eyed Tianxian for a long moment before she questioned in a slightly softer voice than she had been using earlier, "How old are you?"

"I turned fifteen three months ago."

"The same age as Fullmetal." Roy remarked. "I hardly think he would be ready to go through with the deed either."

Tianxian finally crawled off of the desk, but reached back over it to grab the handkerchief hanging out of Roy's breast pocket. She dabbed at the tears beginning to blossom in her eyes as its owner twitched in annoyance at the foreigner's audacious behavior. However, a small strike of compassion bloomed in Riza as she caught sight of the waterworks that were just beginning.

As pragmatic and levelheaded as Riza may be, she still understood the trials of being a young woman in a highly patriarchal world. After all, she had once been a teenage girl herself.

"You are quite young." Riza said as she patted the distraught girl's shoulder.

Tianxian cooed along with her, "Oh, yes. So very young."

"It appears you travelled all this way alone as well."

"All by my lonesome self. The loneliness was especially stifling as I crossed the desert by foot." She left out the part that she had only been traveling alone for a week before she was saved by a strange entourage that she had split ways with just after crossing the border.

"You crossed the desert by foot?"

"Oh, indeed, just one step after another. It takes several months to make the trek from Xing to Amestris, you know?" Again, Tianxian failed to mention that nearly a third of those steps had occurred while she was carried unconscious by a girl who was younger than yet ten times as strong as her.

A sigh from Roy interrupted the two women, "I'm supposing that means you have no travel visa, right?"

"Is not my title and word enough?" Tianxian replied peeking around the stolen handkerchief.

"Hardly…" Roy muttered plainly unimpressed. "Honestly, I should detain you until the proper authorities can arrest you for illegally crossing the border."

In response to his statement Riza appeared ready to restrain the girl, her hands raised slightly and a brow quirked waiting for her superior's order. Tianxian, however, peered over at Roy with her face set in a miserable, defeated expression as more tears sprung to her eyes. Slowly, she raised the handkerchief closer to her face without breaking eye contact. It was this eye contact, however, that let Roy see passed her utterly distraught outer appearance to look at the real emotions that lay behind her pitiful façade.

Beneath the painfully obvious crocodile tears, Tianxian's eyes were alight with a haughty condescension. Her stance, though clearly trying to portray the image of a helpless and needy young woman, was taunt, ready to spring into action at whatever he would say next. Despite the fact that her hands were full with a handkerchief, they had balled into tight fists, the muscles along her knuckles were flexing ever so slightly. Had Tianxian not made the mistake of looking directly into his eyes, he would have probably written her off as just another overly emotional and fragile adolescent or perhaps just a fearful and desperate foreigner.

She was clearly well-versed in this flamboyant, conceited act, but the depths of her navy eyes revealed that this young girl might just be a bit something more than the character she has portraying. However, as per usual when it came to matters concerning the female psyche, Roy Mustang was wrong. Tianxian Shi was every bit of the arrogant and ostentatious brat that she appeared to be.

Additionally, it concerned him greatly that this seemingly inept and pigheaded girl was able to enter his office without him realizing. It took practiced skill for someone to slide by under his radar, especially if she had been truthful about entering the room through the window he had been directly facing without his notice. Had she been intent on assassinating the Great Hero of Ishval, then he would have been dead. Pushing aside his feelings of wariness and cataloguing his suspicions for later, Roy turned to the more pressing matters at hand.

Dealing with upset women had never been Roy's forte, and panic surged through him as Tianxian appeared to be about to break into full out sobs. Rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, Roy applied his best fake charming smile, and said, "However, I could never deny the request of an attractive young lady!"

"Colonel!" Riza reproached.

"R-Really? Is that so…?" Tianxian sniffled.

Ignoring the remark of his subordinate, Roy continued on, "Of course! I admire a beautiful young woman who knows what she wants. In fact, I'll even give you a hand."

"Well, I am glad you have come to your senses." Tianxian scoffed, raising her head to reveal all traces of the tears and snot that had been running down her face suddenly gone.

Roy nearly got whiplash from the one eighty change in disposition. _What a little actress. A master manipulator. She would make an excellent resource in a tough pinch_ , he mused.

" _Well?_ "

"…right. See, I would gladly take you straight to the Fuhrer myself, but as you can tell," – he gestured to the crumpled paperwork that had been the causality of Tianxian's earlier anxious fit – "I am a very busy man."

"So?"

A vein throbbing in his forehead, Roy tried his best not to let his composure drop at the obnoxious inflection of the foreigner. Were all Xingese this outright rude? " _So_ , if you don't mind a bit more travelling, I have a subordinate who could take you to Central."

Tianxian's blank face and condescending eyes stared back at him. She wondered why this Amestrian seemed to speak in riddles. She knew for a fact that the Fuhrer's name was Bradley, not Central. For all practical purposes, she was a well-educated foreign dignitary, not some common gutter rat that didn't know the name of the leader in the closest neighboring country to the west. How dare he ta-

"That's the capital. The Fuhrer, our leader, is there." The military man elaborated.

 _Oh._ "…aaah, I see. Where is that escort? Will you call the palanquin or shall I? Four servants and a handmaiden should do for the trip, should it not? How should I dr-"

"Actually," Roy interrupted the younger girl's onslaught of questions. Had she really crossed that vast expanse of unpopulated desert alone? "When I said that I hoped you wouldn't mind a bit more travel, I meant that _you_ needed to travel to meet with _him._ I'm not the only alchemist that is busy dealing with his own affairs. Once you have met up with him, I'm sure he will be overjoyed to escort you to Central and use his State Alchemist military clearance to get you an audience with Fuhrer Bradley."

" _Excuse me?_ "

"I hate to make you travel further out than you already have, but honestly, other than myself, he is the only one I know of in reachable distance who has access to the Fuhrer." Tianxian scowled at the flippant tone the officer used that hardly sounded remorseful at her predicament at all before he lamely finished with, "My hands are tied."

Tianxian was utterly displeased with the turn of events, but considering the tight situation she was currently in, she gave a nod of begrudged compliance.

The Colonel leaned forward in his chair as he gave a triumphant look. "I'm glad we've come to an agreement. Lieutenant?"

"Sir?"

"Could you write down Fullmetal's information for our Lady Shi?"

"Of course, sir." Riza appeared hesitant for a moment, but crossed the room to fetch a paper and pen. She quickly scribbled down something on the paper before folding it and handing it warily to her superior.

Roy held the paper out for Tianxian to take as he spoke with undeniable mirth in his voice, "This is your key to the Fuhrer."

Greedily, Tianxian snatched her metaphorical "key to the kingdom" from Mustang's hand in a manner that was far too quick to be presumed polite. She hastily unfolded the paper, her eyes hungrily taking in the set of words and numbers written on it in a heavy, looping scrawl. She looked over the writing several times before dejectedly letting the paper dangle at her side. Slightly chagrinned, Tianxian came to a depressing conclusion. She couldn't read common Amestrian.

In fact, she was lucky to be skilled enough to be holding a conversation in a language that was not her own at all.

"That there," Roy leant forward with his elbows on his desk and his fingers steepled under his chin, "is the name and home phone number of the State Alchemist whom will take you to Central. Go to a phone booth, and give that number a ring. I'm sure whoever answers can give you his location. His code name is "Fullmetal." Oh, and when you meet up with him, read him that state identification number for verification and just tell him that _the Colonel_ sent you."

Unwilling to admit that she was unable to read Amestrian lest it bruise her overly sensitive pride, Tianxian muttered in the clipped tone that only the exceedingly pigheaded were able to maintain. "Very well. Based on your lackadaisical approach to protocol and the overly informal address of someone as valuable as myself, I imagine that you also have the inane idea that I will be making this journey without aid..."

Lieutenant Hawkeye was the first to address the young concubine's concerns, "You have already travelled all this way alone. As long as you make contact with our associate alchemist, then I doubt a slight detour will be all that troubling."

"Besides, Amestris is a safe enough country for a young lady to travel without an entourage of otherwise engaged soldiers tailing her." The Colonel spoke up, a dark look passing briefly across his face as he added, "As long as you stay clear of the borderlands, that is."

"And, if I should be stopped, I show them this?" The ebony-haired foreigner held up the paper with the name and number she had been given earlier.

"If you're stopped, I wouldn't worry. You'll be taken to Central either way." He left out the fact that it would be _to be tried as a law-breaking illegal immigrant with questionable intent and a flair for overly arrogant theatrics._

Seemingly oblivious to the apparent threat of being arrested for trespassing country lines, Tianxian stuffed what she believed to be a makeshift passport into the pocket of her gray chino cloth pants. Squaring her shoulders and again tilting her head to look condescendingly down her nose at the two officers, the girl took swift steps that brought her to stand in front of the window that she appeared to plan to make use of once more. She hoisted herself up upon the windowsill with an agility that contradicted her self-proclaimed aristocratic background.

As if remembering that she owed the people that she had carelessly dropped in on at least a simple courtesy for not arresting her, she had not even asked for their names, Tianxian balanced herself enough to offer a bob of a bow, "You have done a great service, Amestrians. I shall recall the help you offered when I undoubtedly am taken as the wife of a well-paid politician after gaining citizenship. Farewell."

With that she was gone. The Colonel and Lieutenant watched as their uninvited and extremely bizarre guest shimmed her way down the side of the wall with a practiced ease that belied the fact that this was not her first excursion scaling buildings. Neither said it aloud, but both wondered what mayhem they may have just unknowingly unleashed upon their unsuspecting countryside.

"Don't look so troubled, Lieutenant." Roy broke the stiff silence as he turned back to close the window. "I'm certain we will be seeing her again. I have a hunch that she is more than she appears."

"Undoubtedly. Then what was the point of letting her go to freely roam around the countryside, sir? Why fold against her demands? It is unlike you to let a criminal run loose." Riza pressed looking out of the window as the speck that was Tianxian disappeared into the winding rows of buildings that made up the inner city.

Roy smirked as he lost sight of the red and black dot rushing away from the Eastern Command Headquarters. "She poses no real threat, and if she does, then the Elrics can handle her. Just adding another playing piece to the chessboard, Lieutenant. You can never have too many pawns on the board, after all."

* * *

If Tianxian were to be completely honest, and she rarely was, then she would have admitted that she had no earthly idea how to read Amestrian, and that would have saved several people the headache of waiting for her to exit the telephone booth she had commandeered. She had entered the telephone booth not long after she had made her extravagant exit from Eastern Command, and had been standing in it for at least the last half hour attempting to decipher the difference between a number and a letter written on a piece of paper in a language foreign from her own. Ignoring the angered protests beginning to riot outside of the booth, the young consort picked up the mouthpiece to place her thirty-seventh collect call of the day.

Honestly, at this point, Tianxian was just spinning the teleoperating dial in random directions, asking for someone named "Fullmetal", and hoping for the best.

"Rockbell Automail and Repairs, how may I help you?" An aged voice came on the line.

Passed the point of pleasantries, Tianxian nearly shouted the purpose of her call into the receiver, "Fullmetal?"

"Yes, we provide full metal services. Do you need automail or a tune up?"

This was getting her nowhere. With an exasperated sigh, Tianxian almost slammed the phone on the receiver when the voice spoke up again with a dawn of recognition, "Fullmetal? Do you mean Edward?"

After a pregnant pause, the girl replied halfway between a statement and a question, "Fullmetal...he is a state alchemist?"

"All that little brat's known for now is being a dog of the military, huh? Well, if you're looking to speak with Ed, then you're sore out of luck. Hasn't been back here for a few months. Last I heard those boys where headed down to Dublith to train with some alchemy teacher of their's."

Without so much as a thanks, Tianxian hung up the phone feeling a new sense of elation. Dublith. Now she had a lead. A fiery passion gleamed in her navy-colored eyes at the prospect of being one step closer to gaining an audience with Fuhrer Bradley. It would only be a matter of time before her long-sought goal would be accomplished. Finally, asylum would soon be at hand.

Throwing open the door and hitting several disgruntled bystanders with the sudden flamboyant action, the foreign emissary stepped out of the booth taking in a satisfying breath of fresh air. With the even gait of someone who garnered all the secrets of the world, Tianxian made her way through the bustling early evening traffic. This was it! All she had to do was find this "Fullmetal" so-and-so, drop her title and perhaps flash a bit of leg, and then she would be swept off her feet to the Amestrian capital into the, surely accommodating, arms of Furher King Bradley.

However, Tianxian came to an abrupt halt and the deliriously elated grin on her face was washed away as one thought tumbled in harsh Xingese from her lips.

 _"WHERE IN THE HELL IS DUBLITH!?"_

* * *

 **CUT! There you have it, the end of chapter one. I hope you all are entertained by Tianxian. There is certainly more than meets the eye with her story line. Hopefully, dearest Mustang and Hawkeye were in character. Our beloved and goofy Xingese prince will make his appearance in the next chapter. I extremely appreciate all follows, favorites, and ESPECIALLY REVIEWS! ;)**

 **Please, let my know if there is anything I can improve on, whether it be OOC-ness, pacing, if you would prefer if this was 1st person point-of-view, etc...**

 **Many thanks, lovely readers. ~**

 **NEXT UPDATE TUESDAY- CHAPTER TWO: "THE FULLMETAL SO-AND-SO"!**


	2. The Fullmetal So-and-So

**Greetings, all! A big thanks to those who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed will be at the bottom! For reference, this story takes place just before Mustang and the gang move to Central, and just after the fight at the Devil's Nest. Any and all lines taken from the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise in this chapter do not belong to moi. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Two:**

 **"The Fullmetal So-and-So"**

* * *

"Dear?"

Izumi Curtis halted in her long-legged stride at the call of her husband, and turned back to see him gazing solemnly down an alley they had just passed. Backtracking so that she was standing beside the large man, Izumi settled her questioning gaze upon him.

Shifting the groceries they had just purchased to one hand, "What is it, Sig?"

"Look." Pointing down the alley.

In a heap of pale limbs and silken linens, there lay a young Xingese woman seemingly unconscious. The couple looked down the alleyway with slight apprehension. It was not the first time they has come across someone passed out in the street on their way by the red-light district, however, it was the first time they had encountered someone so obviously well-groomed and from the East in their little southern town.

The married pair exchanged a look. Well, it wouldn't hurt to show a bit of Amestrian hospitality, would it...?

* * *

"We're back, boys!" Izumi called as she crossed the threshold of the butcher shop and quickly kicked off her sandals.

"Teacher, we're hungry!" Came a disembodied voice from the backyard.

Moments after the cocky shout, the metal head of Alphonse Elric peered from the next room, "Welcome back, Teacher. Do you have the groceries? Can I help you?"

"So, what's for dinner?" Edward Elric asked appearing in much the same manner as his younger brother as he plaited his golden hair into its trademark braid.

"Shut up!" A pot was hurled at such a neck-breaking speed that, if it had been aimed more purposefully, then it could have easily taken off the blond boy's head. "If you want to eat, then roll up your sleeves and get to work!"

"Geez, you could've killed me with that!"

"That was the point, you runt!" Ignoring the older of the two young men, Izumi looked up to Alphonse as his large metal hand gently took one of the bags from her. She took note that he was now cleaned of the blood from the chimera woman whom had been slain in him earlier that day. "Thank you, Alphonse."

"RUNT! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICRO BABY MIDGET?! HEY, DON'T IGNORE ME!"

"You're welcome, Teacher!" The little armor boy positively beamed at the praise, the metallic sound of his voice barely audible over Edward's fuming rant.

"As for you..." Izumi turned to settle her fearsome gaze on Edward, who was attempting to coax a biscotti out of the bag Alphonse now held. "You should learn to respect your elders! Not only did I bring back groceries, but I brought Ed back a bride."

The stolen cookie fell from the blond alchemist's lips, "WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY, MY WHAT?!"

"You brought Winry here, Teacher?"

"AL!"

"Sorry, brother. I couldn't resist."

"Tah-dah!" Izumi vacated the doorway to let her husband fill the frame with his broad shoulders. The brothers balked at the sight held in Sig's thick arms. It wasn't an everyday occurrence for the boys to see the burly man carrying bridal-style an exotically dressed woman that was not his wife.

"Who the hell is that?!"

"Why, it's your future bride, of course!"

"Teacher, cut the crap!"

"Priceless reaction. It was definitely worth picking a foreigner off of the street to see that face."

As teacher and pupil bantered, Sig made his way through the small house with the unconscious girl in his arms. Alphonse tailed after the older man as curiosity bloomed in him over their guest. He held open one of the guest bedroom doors for Sig, so that he could effortlessly enter the room and lay the girl upon a small cot.

"Where did you find her? She appears foreign, if not wealthy."

The butcher moved his eyes away from the peaceful face of the sleeping girl to the boy that had posed the question. "An alleyway two or three blocks from here. She is young; we couldn't leave her."

"Is she…well," Alphonse took in the unnaturally still body as uneasiness filled the hollowness of his chest cavity. "…still alive?"

Passing the anxious suit of armor, Sig stopped to give the helmet a light pat, "Exhaustion, I presume. She will be fine. Let her sleep."

Following Sig's lead, Alphonse turned to vacate the room. However, a wariness came over him as it does when one feels like they are being watched. He could not help, but to peer over his shoulder at the supposedly slumbering foreigner. Despite the strange feeling, the young woman still lay in the same position with her short black hair fanned out around her head. Stealing one more glance, Alphonse shut the door behind him.

Once she heard his metal footsteps fade away, a wide grin split across the girl's face and her navy eyes slide open. _What a stroke of luck!_ It was always satisfying when plans went accordingly. Tianxian maneuvered her way beneath the covers of the bed and lay with her arms tucked beneath her head. _How relaxing…_

It had been several days since her unexpected meeting with the officers at Eastern Command. After several faked injuries and an evening of playing a beautiful symphony on the heartstrings of a rather benevolent wealthy family who was on their way to vacation in South City, Tianxian found herself seated, free of charge, in a first class car when her train pulled into the Dublith Train Station.

As smoothly as things had gone so far, the bottom fell out of everything when she was forced to spend the next two days pounding on door-after-door flashing the paper that the dark haired officer had gifted her saying "The Colonel sent me."

As one can imagine, shoving a piece of paper signed by a high-ranking military official into the face of civilians and demanding to be taken to the radical leader of the country didn't bode well for public peacekeeping efforts. She had then spent the next few hours evading arrest for having "incited a city-wide panic."

In desperate need of a meal, a bed, and most of all, a safe house, Tianxian had resorted to tossing herself onto the ground when she heard anyone pass by with the hope that someone would take pity on as defenseless young woman as herself. If they took the bait, she then planned to coerce her benefactors by displaying her title, after which, she was certain that they would be so honored to be in her presence, that they would gladly give her lodging while she searched for the ever elusive "Fullmetal" fellow.

It just so happened that she had fallen asleep after throwing herself to the ground for somewhere around the twentieth time. She awoke to a woman laughing hardily while the sound of cracking knuckles assaulted her ears. However, the manipulative consort continued to feign sleep as she was lifted ever so gently to be pressed into a warm chest.

And, this is where her ingenuity had led her, to a cozy sleeping place that was likely to have food for grabs once the morning came.

The sounds of flying cooking ware and indignant shouts could still be heard outside of the bedroom door. The liveliness of the house at such a late hour was a bit unnerving, but she reasoned that she would have no fear of cutlery being aimed her way once she had the chance to explain just who they were currently housing under their roof. After all, if things got hairy, then she could simply climb out of the window before the seemingly kind Samaritans awoke the next morning.

With that thought in mind, Tianxian waited for sleep to wash over her. After several listless hours, it finally came to claim her.

* * *

The next morning Tianxian found herself tiptoeing through the home she had currently taken residence in with the clear intention of mooching some food off of her hosts. The smell of cooked bacon led her in the direction of the kitchen. Paying no mind to the other people occupying the room, Tianxian seated herself and grabbed two pieces of bacon from the plate that was sitting at the center of the kitchen table.

Reaching over to take hold of an unused fork and knife, she delicately cut her meal into even squares before daintily popping the morsel into her mouth to satisfy her awaiting taste buds. She was not let down. _Heavenly._

"JUST WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU, LADY?!"

The plate of bacon was unceremoniously snatched from beneath Tianxian's nose. Displeased and fork paused mid bite, her eyes trailed from the hand that had stolen her breakfast and up a metal arm to glare irately at an adolescent boy. Briefly surprised, the concubine found herself entranced by the sight of him.

However, it wasn't his short stature or the fact that his prosthetic appendage had broken causing her plate of food to fall to the floor as he gasped horrified at the broken china, that caused her prolonged stare. It was his golden eyes and hair. They were strikingly familiar.

Realizing her waver, Tianxian quickly schooled her face back into a reproachful grimace, "Well, that was rather rude of you."

"Rude!? What's rude is you appearing from nowhere, helping yourself to your host's plate without so much as a thanks, stealing the silverware from my hands to use yourself, and pretending like no one else exists!" The blond used his flesh arm to direct the busted metal one into pointing directly between her eyes.

"I hardly see how that is a problem." The girl replied in an overly flippant tone as if she had not breached proper dining protocol in the slightest with her actions.

"Listen, lady," He growled as his eyes narrowed into slits, "I don't know about where you come from, but around here it's considered impolite to shack up at someone's house for the night and repay them by stealing their food in the morning."

Incensed. "How dare you address me in such a crass manner! Do you have any idea whom you are speaking to, you plebian trout?"

"Of course I don't! You came in here, starting eating our food, and didn't even introduce yourself. That's the problem, woman!"

Navy eyes flashed with heated condescension, a hand placed in a haughty gesture just below her neck. "I am Lady Tianxian Shi, two hundred and sixteenth heir of the illustrious Shi clan, forty-seventh royal concubine of the Xing Empire! You are in the presence of royalty."

"Oh yeah? Well, I couldn't care less even if you told me that you were the prince of Xing himself! I'm Edward Elric, the famed Fullmetal Alchemist, friend of the people, youngest State Alchemist in history!"

"Is that so? Well, I-I…I…" Tianxian faltered, blinking rapidly as the boy's title registered. "Did you say Fullmetal?"

"Ha! You can't come up with a— wait, you've heard of me?"

The consort sucked in a deep breath as she shot to her feet lunging forward to fist her hands in Edward's shirt. "TAKE ME TO CENTRAL!"

"WHAT. No! Hey! What are you—"

"I am in need of an audience with your Furher." Tianxian leveled her face with the reluctant boy, close enough for her hot breath to fan over his cheeks. Edward found himself enraptured with the smolder of her dark eyes, and for a moment he could have sworn amber flecks briefly outlined her pupil. "As a State Alchemist, you have the power to give that to me."

"Um, excuse me, Miss Shi?"

Startled by the voice, Tianxian released the cloth in her hands and swung her head sharply to the left. For the first time, she took notice of the other two people occupying seats at the table. Well, if you could even call them that. She uneasily eyed the hulking piece of muscle that was a bearded man and an enormous suit of fearsome looking armor.

 _What a peculiar group I have stumbled upon…_ Tianxian mused.

"Hello, I am Alphonse Elric, Ed's younger brother. Maybe if you could explain yourself a bit more, then we could understand why you are here. It is pretty usual for someone to seek my brother and I out to take them to the Furher." Tianxian recognized the metallic voice from last evening, realizing it must have belonged to whoever was inside that suit of armor.

The voice was light and airy suggesting that, despite his large size, he must have been quite young. Meanwhile, the muscular man excused himself with something about checking on his wife.

Forgoing the overly complicated explanation that she had spin for the officers in her first regaling of her tale, Tianxian opted for a much simpler, "I come from Xing, the large country to the east of you. Due to some marital complications, I seek solace as a political refugee in Amestris. I am only able to achieve that by petitioning to your Furher. I hear that you, as a State Alchemist, have access to him."

"Why should Al and I have to take some border hopping illegal immigrant to Central?"

"I already told you, you heathen low-class simpleton, I am a _political refugee_."

"You can give it a fancy title, but a criminal is still a criminal."

Pulling out the trump card, Tianxian reached into the pocket of her pants to tug out the slip of paper she had received days earlier. A Cheshire cat grin spread from ear to ear as she said, " _The_ _Colonel_ sent me, Fullmetal."

Edward snatched the paper stretched out to him while still warily looking at the overly smug girl. He only took his eyes off of her after he had unfolded the note.

Immediately, he recognized the heavy, looping handwriting of Riza Hawkeye. Quickly, he read over his name, State Alchemist identification number, the number to Granny Pinako's Resembool abode, and a short blurb about how he was being ordered to escort a certain "Lady Tianxian Shi" to Central Command.

He had nearly crumpled the paper into a ball to pelt back at the girl when a writing different from the rest caught his eye.

At the bottom corner of the page in small, slanted letters read, _HAPPY TRAVELS, FULLMETAL._

"That bastard."

"What is it, Brother?"

As a response, Edward handed the note over. Alphonse quickly scanned it. "Oh. Well, shall we get packed then?"

"Fat chance." The older Elric grumbled so only his brother could hear. "She just missed the Furher, anyway. We need to stop by Rush Valley, and get Winry to patch up my arm first. The imp is just going to have to trail us until we are ready to head to Central. No way in hell are we making a special trip just for her."

" _Well?_ " Tianxian questioned in her trademark action of peering arrogantly down her nose at others.

* * *

The train ride was mostly consumed with silence as the two humanoid teens slept while Alphonse read, welcoming the short reprieve from the shrill voices of his companions. The peace was only interrupted when occasionally the blond and ebony haired pair would wake up to resume bickering over everything from the scenery passing by the window to the dietary benefits and consequences of milk consumption before falling back asleep mid argument.

Keeping one melodramatic hot head under control was difficult enough; having to wrangle in two at the same time would have caused Alphonse to shudder at the prospect if he had been in his original body. He just hoped by the time they left Rush Valley to take the considerably longer train ride to Central City, that the two would have settled their differences or will have at least found something other than quarrelling to occupy their attention.

Admittedly, the later was much more likely than the former.

The train rolled to a stop, and two heads, one light and one dark, lolled to attention from the change in speed. Blinking sleep away, golden eyes met navy. Al cringed. They were awake now, so that meant—

"What are you looking at, you conceited cow?"

"I can very well look wherever I may please, you slack-jawed heathen."

"I'm doing you a favor by taking you with us, ya know? Give me some respect!"

"Respect? I owe a common infidel like you nothing. You should be honored that you have the opportunity to be graced by my mere presence!"

"Honored, my ass!"

"Your ass, you say? How about I demonstrate just how far I am able to shove this great honor up your—"

This could go on for hours. Honestly, at this point, it was just a pissing contest between the two.

* * *

Somehow, Alphonse was able to calm the two enough, so they could travel through town without being brought up on charges of disturbing the peace. While the shouting had ceased, a heated glare still existed between the alchemist and his charge. Edward only ended the intense stare down when they had neared Atelier Garfiel's, and a flash of blonde hair caught his attention.

With a bored expression, Tianxian watched as the two boys approached a young woman exiting from what she could only guess was an automail shop. She balked as the pair suddenly produced two fans, and with a panicky cheerfulness addressed the stranger.

"Hello there, Winry!" Edward waved one of the fans merrily, but Tianxian could see the nervous sweat beginning to prick at the nape of his neck. "You look like you're in a very generous mood today."

Shocked, the blonde girl blinked several times before an enchanting smile adorned her face, "Hi, Ed. Hi, Al. What are you doing showing up like this?"

The Elric brothers' nervousness became palatable as Edward lifted up his metal appendage, gears visible and fingers only hanging on by the shear tenacity of colorful wires.

The concubine looked on as Winry's pleasant expression was clouded with an unrivaled fury. With the strength of a seasoned wrestler, the young automail mechanic hurled the crate of metal parts she was holding hard enough at the young alchemist to send him flying into the shop behind them. Snatching a wrench from the ground, Winry carried it above her head as she marched back into the shop intent on delivering swift justice.

"You complete jerk! I just fixed that arm!"

Winry swung the wrench down and was just as surprised as the cowering Edward when it did not land its intended blow.

Tianxian offered a tightlipped smile as she stepped out from beneath the mechanic's arm, and released her grip on the tool she had caught mid swing. "As ill-mannered and irreverent as he is, I would prefer if you did not kill him. I am in need of his services."

"Wha? I…I…who…?" The foreign girl couldn't help but smirk as Winry's sapphire eyes darted confusedly around to the three others in the shop.

"Winry," Edward coughed as Alphonse helped him sit up, "This is Tiaxie Shin—"

"Brother, her name is Tianxian Shi."

"That is _Lady_ Tianxian Shi, to you."

The alchemist waved his hand carelessly, "Whatever. Anyway, she's basically an illegal immigrant that Colonel Bastard has ordered me to get to the Furher, so unfortunately Al and I are stuck with her and her obnoxious attitude for a while."

"Quiet, heathen, or next time you earn the wrath of a woman I will not intervene." Tianxian muttered disdainfully.

"Well, I suppose introductions are in order, then." Tianxian watched at Winry turned to her with an apologetic quirk of her lips and a hand extended, "I'm Winry. Winry Rockbell. I work as a mechanic at this shop, and unfortunately, I have to call these two my childhood friends."

Staring disinterestedly at the peach-colored hand held out towards her, Tianxian wondered what she was supposed to do with it. Hesitantly, she took hold of it in both of her own as she slightly bowed at the waist. She then released the hand after murmuring a simple, "A pleasure."

 _What odd customs these Amestrians held._

Attempting to ignore the awkward introduction, Winry set to work on patching her friend's arm the best she could. "Even Paninya has shaped up, and got a job doing odds and ends around town. Yet, here the two of you are getting your selves into trouble again."

Tianxian stood idly to the side with her arms crossed and foot tapping as the childhood friends caught up with one another. She huffed, _How dull._

"And what about the two of you, huh?" Winry droned, and Tianxian mused that her nitpicky attitude was what probably made her an excellent mechanic. Even to her untrained eyes, she could see the fine craftsmanship in the other girl's meticulous work. "Made any progress yet?"

Tianxian's ears perked as what was left unsaid. _Progress? At what?_

Alphonse drew in a sharp breath as he awkwardly glanced back at their guest before continuing, _"_ Yeah, we have. It's slow going though."

"We're still moving ahead little by little, I guess." With a loud grunt, Edward rose to a sitting position.

The brothers shared a look that clearly screamed that they were hiding something. Navy orbs narrowed suspiciously as the siblings. Secrets were something Tianxian had an inordinate amount of experience with, so she immediately recognized when one was being kept in front of her nose.

Confident that she would coerce the truth out of them sooner or later, she stepped forward to gain the attention of the others, her face eased back into her normal simper.

"Is he free to travel?" Tianxian directed the statement at Winry. "Prepare him for leave."

"Not quite," The taller girl replied as a large sweat drop rolled down the side of her head at the sound of the demanding voice. "I've done all I can for now. I'm missing some parts, so you'll have to make-do with a patch job. I'll go get what we'll need, but until then you've got some time to kill."

No one, least of all Tianxian, looked pleased about having to spend more time surrounded by gearhead junkies. But, what choice did they have except to wait?

* * *

"Kill some time, huh? Yeah, how do we do that in a town made up entirely of automail shops? No matter where we go, these guys follow Al and I around like vultures."

The original plan had been to wait at Garfiel's shop for Winry to return with the needed supplies. However, that had quickly changed when not long after Winry left, Garfiel had strolled into his studio bringing a flamboyant array of persona along with him. Even Tianxian's own over-the-top personality was unable to combat the amount of dispositional gaud and glitz pervading the room, and the three had been forced to wander the streets despondently.

Tianxian spoke up with a side glace at the boy who was barely shorter than her, "The two of you act as if you do not want to be noticed, and yet dress so outlandishly that it is difficult not to."

"Oh yeah?" He gestured with the end of the straw held between his teeth to her out-of-place outfit with its bright color and exotic silk patterns, "Like you're one to talk."

With a roll of her dark eyes, Tianxian looked away, "It matters not what I wear. The air of royalty that exists around me draws the common people. I can hide nowhere, but in plain sight."

"Air of royalty? More like people can hear your big mouth before you even get there, right, Al?"

The girl's retort to the jab was cut short when the pair realized that somehow they both were able to miss a giant suit of armor no longer clanking next to them.

"Al?" Edward called again as he searched from left to right and Tianxian looked from forward to back.

"Brother?"

The blond locked his eyes on a white ribbon swaying gently in the breeze from the back of a helmet.

With a grumble, he made his way over to the suit of armor perched at the edge of a short, cluttered alleyway, Tianxian following him at a leisurely pace. "What now? Did you find a stray cat or something?"

Al was silent.

"If it is something valuable, take it." Tianxian added with a breathy sigh.

Al appeared pensive for a few more moments before he turned back, hand raised holding a fist full of shirt as he presented his find, "Yep!"

Tianxian was suddenly showered in orange juice as Edward sputtered his beverage in surprise all over her. Her eyes stung and welled with tears as her hands immediately shot up to her face. However, the colored liquid dripping down from her hair and irritated eyes did not keep her from seeing the horrifying image before her.

A a silken, goldenrod shirt emblazoned with the wisps of white flames and the crest of a phoenix starburst was clear even through her blurry eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

 _Oh no._

Her vision clearing, the pupils of her eyes dilated as Tianxian wildly took in every aspect even in the minutest detail of the young man being held unconscious before her.

Long black hair clasped in a white ribbon.

 _Oh no._

Lightly tanned skin disappearing from a bare chest to beneath the thin fabric of chino cloth pants.

 _Oh no._

A dopey grin on his face even in his unconscious state.

 _Oh no. NO._

There was no doubting it now. With an unparalleled sense of joy, Tianxian had thought they had permanently parted ways when they had chosen to travel in different directions just after crossing the Amestrian border. Nevertheless, it seemed, that she was destined to cross paths with this frivolous fellow once more.

For yet again, those dark, sharp eyes suddenly peered open to capture her own dusky orbs, and she was irrevocably ensnared in the promise of adventure that was held in their depths.

 _How unfortunate._

* * *

 **Tah-dah! That's a wrap for chapter two. Hopefully you all enjoyed Tianxian's larger-than-life personality. As conceited and shallow as she seems now, as the story gets rolling she'll be growing a lot not only as a person, but as her backstory is revealed things will become clearer as to why she is the way she is. That being said...**

 **A HUGE THANK YOU IS IN ORDER! I was so excited to get 27 views on an anime/manga series that is considered a little older. :) A shout out to Midnight1Pomegranate for both favoriting and following this story! A shout out to mun3litKnight** **for favoriting this story! But, most of all a thank you to mun3litKnight and the Guest who reviewed! You two are the reason this story has another chapter, honestly. **

**As usual, please favorite, follow, and REVIEW! I REALLY, REALLY would appreciate it. Reviews literally give me the life force to carry on writing. :)**

 **UPDATE NEXT TUESDAY - Chapter Three: "Damsel in the Desert"!**


	3. Damsel in the Desert

**Salutations, fine readers! I won't be able to update next Tuesday, so I'm posting an early update now. Thanks for sticking with Tianxian and I to chapter three. A more in depth author note at the bottom...Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Three:**

 **"Damsel in the Desert"**

* * *

 _Breathe in._

 _Breathe out._

 _Breathe out, in…?_

 _Breathe in, out…?_

 _Oh, just suck in as much air as you can. Preferably before you pass out._

Chanting the simple command was all Tianxian could do to keep the panic that had gripped her at bay. While the dark eyes had slid closed moments after opening and consequently released her from the spell that they had entranced her with, the uneasiness had yet to leave. His mere presence sent a chill of anxiety crawling down her spine.

The consort only realized she was gawking when she heard the grumpier of her two companions remark, "He's out cold, huh?"

"Looks that way." Alphonse replied, setting the ragged-looking boy to the lay down face first in the dirt road.

Clearly unimpressed, Edward gave a surly command to his younger brother, "Looks like another damn foreigner. Take him back to where you found him."

"But, brother that's—"

"It would be my pleasure!" Tianxian shot between the brothers, the skirt of her crimson cheongsam jacket flowing behind her from the quick movement.

She gripped the incapacitated stranger under the pits of his arms, and hoisted him up with a tenacious strength that contradicted her slight figure. With a great heave, the girl set him flying head over heels into an awaiting pile of garbage that lined the dark alleyway. Satisfied, she wiped her hands together and triumphantly placed them upon her small hips.

 _Problem solved._

"I said put him back, not kill him!" Edward howled over Tianxian's shoulder.

The girl in question shrugged, "Honestly, I did us all a favor. You should be kissing my feet in thanks."

"How can the two of you be so heartless?" Alphonse cried as he rushed to aid the fallen boy. He lifted the boy so that the white soles of his black cloth shoes met the ground. His attempt at trying the balance the boy was futile as he was plainly not mentally aware enough to stand.

The smallest of the group frowned, and pulled Tianxian forward by her wrist to survey the damage, "Al, stop that—"

"Unhand me, you hea—"

 _ **GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!**_

The Elric brothers jumped with a start as a deafening gurgle filled the alleyway. In their surprise, Tianxian managed to snatch her wrist back seemingly unphased by the eardrum-shattering noise.

"What was that sound, Brother?" The armored boy asked as his voice rose in alarm.

The blond alchemist shifted to a defensive stance, his eyes cautiously examining the area for a threat, "I don't know. Do you think it could be one of the homunculi nearby?"

It then became very clear to Tianxian that her original assumption had not been wrong. The Amestrian common people _were_ incredibly dimwitted.

"For being the so-called _'Hero of the People'_ , the both of you are exceptionally dense." The concubine scoffed as she strode forward to casually reach her hand into Edward's pants pocket and begin digging around.

"HEEEEEEY! What do you think you're doing?! GET OUT OF THERE!" Edward responded with a flush that covered his entire body as he yanked the nonplussed girl's hand away.

"Ow! Oh, do not flatter yourself. As if I would lower myself to doing inappropriate things to a low-brow gutter rat as yourself." She admonished with a furrowed brow while tenderly rubbing her smarting hand. "I was attempting to procure money from you."

A gruff mutter. "Oh, so I'm still good enough to steal from though, huh? What an honor."

"He is hungry."

"Huh?" Edward uncrossed his arms to look at his female companion quizzically.

"That obnoxious noise. It was his stomach growling." Tianxian disdainfully gestured at their fourth unconscious member, "He is hungry. The money is for food."

"Not two minutes ago you were content with leaving him in the garbage, and now you want to feed him with _my_ money!?"

"As long as your brother is intent on helping that worthless piece of refuse, it appears we shall not be leaving from this spot. There will be worse consequences than an empty wallet if we are found with him in the current state he is in." A frustrated sigh passed through her pursed lips.

Still skeptical, Edward eyed the foreign girl suspiciously. However, as her navy eyes board into his, he found that he could trust her judgment this time around. Since they had met, the alchemist had taken every word the girl ostentatiously exclaimed with a grain of salt. This time, though, her shield of arrogance had been lowered just enough to reveal the truth.

She was genuinely apprehensive about something.

"Tch. Fine, but I'm not paying."

Alphonse gave a breathy laugh, swinging the stranger up into his arms, "So, what's for lunch?"

* * *

"Tianxian, what are you doing?"

The aforementioned concubine was standing in an automail shop on the opposite side of the street from the food stand the four had arrived at moments before. She had curled one of her arms up high enough to make the wide bell-shape of her sleeve appear empty, and was examining mechanical arms. The expression on her face seemed genuine enough, but the fact that her eyes stared dully passed the hanging limbs to an oil stain on the wall gave way to the fact that she was not truly interested in purchasing a new arm.

Without turning away from the prosthetics, "Is it not obvious? I am shopping."

"We all know you have two perfectly fine arms. Unless you're planning on buying me a gift, get out of there." Edward grumbled then pointed to the pile of goldenrod silk and pale cloth in his brother's arms with one of the fried chicken legs he had just purchased. "Besides, what the hell are we supposed to do with him?"

"I am busy. It seems you will have to take the wanderer to eat on your own."

"Oh no, you're not!" The State Alchemist, with the basket of friend chicken tucked under his arm, entered the shop to drag Tianxian out by the tail of her coat. "You and Al forced me into taking him. He is _YOUR_ problem."

Tianxian struggled in vain to free her coat from the vicelike grip, "Unhand me, heathen alchemist! Just take a pheasant leg and wave it in front of his face. Unfortunately, that will have him awake in moments."

While the elder Elric and the aggrieved girl played a game of tug of war, Alphonse looked on between the two with a fair amount of exasperation. The pair was infinitely frustrating to be around with their unceasing squabbling, but that wasn't what had garnered his attention. Between her uncharacteristically nervous demeanor and the reluctance at which she addressed a way to aid the young man in his arms, Alphonse had noticed something peculiar—

"Tianxian, do you know this boy?"

The battle halted as the girl in question ceased in her flailing, "What would give you an inane idea such as that?"

The younger boy startled. The metal of his armor clanked with nervous twitches. Despite her somewhat doll-like appearance, Tianxian's lofty voice and shadowy eyes were unexpectedly intimidating.

"I, um, well, you see…he looks like he might be from Xing, too," Alphonse lifted up the young man who was still draped comatose across his arms, "Also, uh, you seem kind of anxious, and you talk as if you know him."

In contrast with her usual expressiveness, Tianxian had arranged her face to be carefully blank, "Is that so? How absurd."

"No, no." Edward interjected, crimson fabric still in hand, "I think Al is onto something here."

"Ridiculous."

Letting go of her attire and gripping the basket of chicken with both hands, the snarky young alchemist began circling Tianxian. A cheeky smirk inched up one side of his face. After all she had put him through, the taunt was too good to pass up.

"I don't know about that. I think you know him."

"Preposterous."

"Hey, Al?" Edward paused in his circling, to look inquiringly up at his brother. "Tianxian said that she came to Amestris because of marital complications, right?"

A metallic, "I think so."

Satisfied, he continued on in his assault as he picked up one of the chicken legs to point between the two foreigners, "Hmm, two foreigners suddenly show up here around the same time, and the runaway bride is pretty jumpy around the other one."

"What exactly are you insinuating, you boorish buffoon?" Navy eyes tightened into menacing slits.

Two golden eyebrows rose, "Oh, I think you know exactly what I'm saying."

"Hardly," Her upper lip curled in disgust as the chicken leg came dangerously close to smearing grease across her cheek before he swung back. Though, her eyes widened at the sudden movement taking place behind the pint-sized alchemist.

"Brother! Wait, he's—" Alphonse called admonishingly.

Ignoring the call, Edward went in for the kill, gesticulating wildly with the chicken leg without noticing that a large bite had been taken from it, "This guy must be your husba—"

" _ **MOTHER!"**_

A yellow and white blur knocked Edward aside mid exclamation and barreled directly into Tianxian before she even had a chance to look properly horrified. The breath was knocked from her lungs as her back roughly made impact with the road below. A heavy, annoyingly familiar weight sat upon her chest as she gave her best attempt at sucking the escaped air back into her lungs.

 _Would meeting up with him always mean that she would have her breath stolen away?_

"Oh, ho! To think we would meet again in a place like this, Mother! It must be fate."

Begrudgingly, Tianxian slid her eyes up to take in the face of the exuberant boy straddling her waist. Those forsaken eyes were thankfully closed and an ever present grin softened his angular features. He was close enough for the tips of his tousled black bangs to gently tickle her nose. It was a wonder he had managed to speak around the large chunk of chicken in his mouth.

The pinned consort planned to dish out the tongue lashing of the century, when the shrill, incredulous cry of the Elric brothers beat her to the point,

" _DID YOU JUST SAY MOTHER?!"_

* * *

After the rather peculiar introduction and the near ten minutes it took for Tianxian to extract the ebony-haired young man from clinging to her prone form, the odd group had relocated to a clustering of tables just outside of the food stand they had been loitering around. The brothers stared on in awe while the sole female of the quartet stood to the side with a face that said she would rather be anywhere else but there as the boy, who had yet to introduce himself, downed his fifth bowel of rice and his seventh basket of chicken. How was it possible to fit that much food into one person?

"All right, this guy just called you his mother. Fess up." Edward's demand was barely audible over the stranger's voracious eating.

"Ignore him. He is clearly delusional," was her flippant response.

"It's not like I can just drop the sub—"

"Well, well, I'm revived! You guys saved my life! Thanks, that was yummy!" The stranger seemed to have a special penchant for interrupting the blond alchemist whenever he came close to shattering the secrets surrounding Tianxian.

Edward's attention was quickly diverted from one foreigner to the other as he protested, "I never said anything about treating you…"

"Hahaha! Don't mind such a small thing!" The young man sitting opposite of them gave a boisterous, light-hearted laugh. "To be cared for in a foreign nation. I'm so thankful! To think I would awaken to a pair of generous Amestrians and the smiling face of Mother. Fate is so kind!"

"For the last time, you Yao Clan simpleton, in no way am I your mother! Do not lower me by falsely claiming that I have relation to you." The insult escaped through Tianxian's clenched teeth.

Edward frowned, "Are one of you going to explain this mother thing or…?"

This whole conversation was rapidly becoming derailed from its point. Taking into consideration the distractibility of the three increasingly loud teens, it was up to Alphonse to steer it back on track,

"Foreign? Are you from Xing as well?"

"Hm? Yes, I'm from Xing! I'm sure that you've heard all about our homeland from Tianxian." The response was cheery.

A look passed between the Elric brothers that clearly said all they knew about Xing was that the two odd people currently in their presence claimed to have traveled from there. For someone that talked so much, Tianxian was incredibly tightlipped on matters outside of repeatedly exclaiming her title and demanding to be taken places.

"Wasn't it a lot of trouble to cross the desert?" Alphonse questioned.

The foreign boy gave a firm nod, "Oh, that desert was hellish, but I was able to officially meet Tianxian for the first time, so it was worth the trip. She was quite the damsel."

"My romp through the desert was not exactly planned," Tianxian muttered in her defense.

The boys then merged into a lively discussion on the history of Xing and Amestris along with their resident alchehestry and alchemy. Tianxian eyed a trail of ants crawling alongside the table disinterestedly. She could care less about international politics unless they included her speaking to the Furher about her future.

It was terribly frustrating to be dependent upon the pace of the Elrics. If she had her way, they would have been in Central hours ago and she could have been basking in her newfound Amestrian citizenship, yet here she was, stuck in some rustbelt town being forced to entertain one of her countrymen with an endless supply of food.

Speaking of which, what was that insufferable prince doing here? Had he been following her? Or was this meeting just as much of a coincidence as their first when he had stumbled across her in the desert on the precipice of unconsciousness those few months ago?

Tianxian made a hasty scan of the nearby rooftops. Her haughty posture of crossed arms and a snooty sneer were purposely arranged to draw the attention away from the calculating look held in her shifting navy orbs. Not for the first time, she cursed her inability to read chi signatures. Unlike the true heads of the clans, she had never been properly taught to read the dragon's pulse, and was at a disadvantage when it came to sensing just about anything.

 _Now where are you hiding, you eerie specters?_ She wondered.

The Yao imp was difficult enough to handle, but what followed him was far more formidable. It was rare that he was found without three shadows, and it set her on edge to realize their exchange was most likely being watched by more than one pair of outside eyes. The slightest wrong move and she could have a trained kunai aimed at her throat.

No one had the ability to set her at unease like—

"Ling Yao! Nice to meet you!"

Tianxian was startled out of her reverie by the noisy exclamation. Ling and the Elric brothers were merrily shaking hands with one another, and she wondered what she could have missed to make the alchemist she had argued nonstop with for the past day look so welcoming.

"Well, then. What about that alchehestry? Could you tell me more about it?"

Oh. That was why. Though they had only been together for a short time, Tianxian could tell that the blond teen nearly salivated over anything that involved alchemy or its equivalents.

Just as she had expected him to do, Ling crossed his arms and with that unfading grin of his gave a resounding, "Nope. I'm not an alchehestrist…"

The Elrics appeared crushed over the fact, but before either had the chance to voice their dissidence, Ling continued,

"…but she is." In awe the Elrics followed the finger he had extended towards Tianxian.

They stared blankly at her for a moment as a smug little smirk decorated her face.

"You can perform alchehestry?!" Edward cried in vexation.

Her reply was clipped, "Why, of course. Would you like a demonstration?"

Without waiting for an answer, Tianxian confidently strode forward and splayed her fingers in front of Edward's face. He was confused at the gesture until he took notice of her fingernails. It was difficult to see over the deep red of her nail polish, but a small array was etched in black over each nail. He had never seen an alchemic circle drawn so small.

"Prepare to be struck by my shear power!" Tianxian called as blue sparks lit her fingertips.

The boys peered over eagerly as the blue sparks faded from her fingertips. Tianxian appeared to be rather proud of herself as she gauged the reaction of her small audience. However, a disgruntled glower was not the response she expected.

"All you did was change your nails from red to normal. Is that all you can do?"

Tianxian was affronted, "That was powerful alchehestry, heathen! I have no need of more complicated alterations."

"Yeah. Right." Edward deadpanned, turning back to Ling, "What are you here for if you're not an alchemist?!"

"Ummm, to look for something." Tianxian recognized when the prince's cheerful disposition switched from genuine to an act to cover his more subversive character, "Maybe you guys know about it. The Philosopher's Stone."

This was new. She had heard of the ever elusive Philosopher's Stone; its existence had a common place in Xingese bedtime stories. When she had run into him while wandering through the desert, Tianxian had known that Ling wasn't travelling to Amestris for a vacation abroad, but she couldn't have fathomed that he was on a hapless chase after a supposedly mythical rock.

"I want it really badly. Do you know about it?" Those accursed eyes slid open.

Interest waning, the Elrics stood to leave. As Ling prattled on about his desire to gain immortality, the brothers became more closed off and walked further away. Tianxian moved to follow their lead when dark cloth rushed passed on either side of her. Panic wormed its way into her gut. It was just as she feared; the formidable duo had finally made their appearance.

At the snap of their master, the pair wearing the traditional stealth combat garb of the Xingese Empire lurched from the shadows. In moments they had the armor brothers immobile. Tianxian was surprised, however, as her escorts managed to put up a formidable fight against the life-long trained guards.

"Wonderful to see that Lan Fan and Fu are as fit as ever…" Tianxian spoke to no one in particular.

"Oh my, there they go, all such hot heads." Ling gave a cheery chuckle, lifting one hand to his brow as he watched his guards and the Elrics rush off into the metal workings of the city.

Tianxian peered at the boy disdainfully as he added, "Old man! Bring another one of your tasty desserts. Just put it on the armor brothers' tab."

"You are positively rotten."

Ling regarded his fellow Xingese royal with a curious tilt of his head, "Hm? I am?"

"You _are_." Tianxian moved to slide into the seat across from him, ankles crossed and hands placed lightly upon the tabletop. "If you plan to take advantage of the Elrics' apparently infinite amount of funds, at least have the courtesy to offer a dessert to one of your father's former wives."

The seemingly impossible happened when the grin on Ling's face grew wider, and soft, breezy laughter filled the air. His dark eyes opened minutely, and without turning his gaze away, called,

"Hey, old man! Make that dessert a double!"

* * *

 **That's the conclusion to chapter three. Ling is finally conscious and Tianxian is infinitely snarky. This chapter felt off for me, but hopefully it came out well enough.**

 **I appreciate all of you who viewed last chapter. A big thanks to trafalgars for following last chapter! Another big thanks to Logan jones for favoriting! A super special thanks to ArcaneAdagio for doing the big three: favoriting, following, AND reviewing! You are a delightful cupcake of pure wonder to me. Additonally, a super thanks to mun3litKnight, who came back with a second review for me, you wondrous lovely being. Thanks for sticking with this story, I truly appreciate all your support. All of you guys are truly the rock stars behind this chapter.**

 **Please favorite, follow, and REVIEW! Let me know if you all would be interested in delving further into Ling and Tianxian's previous adventure in the desert? I'd love to hear suggestions from you all.**


	4. Mother and Son?

**As I'm sure you've all figured out...I, most unfortunately, don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. However, Tianxian and her shenanigans are all my own. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Four:**

 **"Mother and...Son?"**

* * *

With the sweet symphony of the town being inadvertently demolished by an overzealous pair of alchemists and a duo of exasperated bodyguards playing in the background, Ling was ravenously downing his eleventh piece of apple pie. His companion, Tianxian, was also enjoying the same confection, albeit, it was only her first piece and she was eating it with all the delicacy of a refined upper-class snob.

Needless to say, if the townspeople of Rush Valley were not already caught up in the shenanigans destroying their quaint town, then they were gawking at the strange couple alternating between glares and dopey grins.

"Aww, come now," Ling broke the tense silence that had enveloped the two, "Why do you keep giving me that face? We haven't seen one another for quite some time, Mother."

The girl across from him only deepened her glower as she gave a scathing response, "As I have told you countless times before, I am not your mother. I know that impulse control is exceedingly difficult for you, but refrain from referring to me as anyone with a close relationship to you."

Seemingly unphased by the slight, Ling continued, "Hm? You are my mother, why would I call you by anything else?"

An ebony eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Tianxian had to take several moments to calm herself, lest she smash her dining partner over the head with the closest object, in this case it would have been a plateful of pie. However, she mused, the pie was not deserving of such a horrible fate, and restrained herself for its sake.

"Just because I am technically married to your father does not in any way mean that I take up the role of mother or stepmother or any other kind of relation to you, you gluttonous fiend."

"Ah. I now see why you were travelling with that Edward Elric fellow. You're temperaments are quite similar." The insult was hidden under layers of personal charisma and a friendly grin.

"How dare you compare me to the likes of that common heathen!" Her voice shot up several octaves.

"Oh, now, now, let's not quibble over something so petty, Mother. More importantly, for curiosity's sake, how were you able to learn basic Amestrian as a mere consort?"

In response Tianxian's eyes flashed that unnatural golden color before returning to their normal navy state. She stabbed the remaining portion of her pie with her fork, and jammed the rather large piece into her mouth to cover up the dumbstruck response that sat at the tip of her tongue. _The nerve…_

This was exactly why she couldn't stand the guy. Beneath that oft-present grin and lighthearted persona, Tianxian knew lay a cheeky and far more complex young man. He used his natural charm to lure people in, and when his childlike amusement coaxed their emotional walls down, he would suddenly pounce with an incredible shrewdness that left them questioning how they had been able to be manipulated by someone who had only moments ago appeared so gullible.

Ling Yao was made up of many idiosyncrasies, but most of all, he was deceptively observant. And, to a person who had an inordinate amount of secrets to keep straight like Tianxian did, that made him dangerous. Tremendously dangerous.

"Silence, Yao Clan slug." The young concubine mumbled, pushing herself away from the table.

She didn't even offer so much as a parting glance before she left to wander her way back to Garfiel's shop. With any luck, the Elric brothers would already be there waiting, and could sweep her off to Central before she had the misfortune of being pestered by a certain silly, yet far too perceptive, prince again. Not that it mattered, because regardless of her unannounced exit, Ling was already hot on her heels. His lanky legs effortlessly caught up to her much smaller stride, and he matched her pace with ease.

"What do you think you are doing?" Tianxian weaved her way in and out around various groups of pedestrians, and spoke without turning to her walking companion, "I believe that I have made it clear that your presence is not by any means welcomed."

The prince walked with a slight bounce to his gait, his long ponytail swishing back-and-forth in time with his steps. His arms were crossed lazily over his bare chest and his hands rested in the opposite sleeves. Though his eyes were closed, he appeared to be joyously sightseeing, playing to the perfect image of am innocent, curious newcomer. However, Tianxian knew better.

"We just reunited! I figured I would stick around you for a while. Adventure always seems to find me when I'm with you. I would hate to miss out on the excitement."

 _Hardly,_ Tianxian scoffed to herself, _more like I am always dragged into whatever trouble_ you _draw towards_ me.

"Leave me be."

He was still rambling when she tuned back in, "Oh! We could share our favorite memories from our time together in the desert. I'm sure Lan Fan and Fu would like to join in once they return."

"I decline."

"Those Elric brothers are quite an interesting pair, hm? They seem like they might be able to help me in my search for immortality. The little blond one is a horribly obvious liar, though. A bit like you, really."

"CEASE FROM COMPARING US THIS INSTANT!"

"Speaking of which, why are you with them? It must be to your advanta—"

Two simultaneous explosions rocked the ground the pair stood upon. Tianxian staggered to her left, barely avoiding Ling whose feet were drumming a disjointed tap-dance to keep himself from face planting. Despite their best efforts to remain upright amongst the sudden tremors, the Xingese duo caught ankles and landed in a pile of oddly angled limbs and ruffled hair.

Once again, much to Tianxian's displeasure, Ling's gangly body was sprawled out on top of her prone form. To his credit, he quickly pushed himself up onto his elbows and offered a sheepish chuckle, a flustered apology in the formal dialect of Xingese royalty passing through his lips. He was close enough that, if he had moved a fraction of an inch, then his broad chin would have been jabbing her in the eye.

No matter how much Tianxian wanted to deny it, she knew that her face must have been rosy from cheek to cheek. She was furious with herself when for some unbeknownst reason her heartbeat sputtered into a frenzy of erratic, loud thumps.

 _Dangerous_ , a voice whispered in her head, _he's dangerous to the plan_.

Instead she covered up her embarrassment with, "Remove yourself from me. I am unable to breath, you oaf!"

The chagrined young man fluidly sprung to his feet before offering Tianxian a hand. She stood on her own, pushing the courteous gesture away.

"Well, I suppose that was our cue?" Ling nodded toward the area not too far away with two billowing smoke clouds, "I'd recognize Lan Fan's bombing prowess just about anywhere. I am willing to bet they all have at least come to a standstill."

Tianxian scowled into the distance. She didn't know the Elrics well enough to ascertain whether they would be able to survive a battle against fearsome combatants like that of the prince's body guards, "If your Yao mutts killed my escorts…I will seek rightful compensation for my grievances."

"Was that a threat on my life?" Ling's dark eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. It wasn't like it was the first time someone had warned him that he was in danger of potentially being snuffed out. However, it was unusual to hear it coming from someone who had no intention of using his death to climb the social ladder to the seat of future emperor.

Mustering up the darkest look she could, Tianxian shot the young prince a glower that clearly answered his question. Yes. Yes, it was a thinly veiled death threat.

Slightly stunned, though mostly amused, Ling gave a hasty shrug of his shoulders, "I suppose that's fair enough. Though, I doubt Lan Fan will take the idea of it well…"

At the mention of the strict warrioress' name, Tianxian visibly stiffened as nervous globules of perspiration trickled down the back of her neck. Lan Fan. What a formidable person to have as a foe.

Being ingrained with a hatred for all things Yao Clan since her training as a future concubine had begun all those years ago, Tianxian was naturally disposed to making degrading comments about the Yao Clan heir. That, and the fact that from the get go, the young prince has rubbed her the wrong way with all his childish games, deceptive perceptiveness, and insistence on referring to her as his mother. Unsurprisingly, Tianxian's sharp tongue and irreverence for a certain member of the Xingese aristocracy, did not sit well with the fiercely loyal Lan Fan.

She had been on the receiving end of the female body guard's wrath before, and had nearly lost an arm to a well-aimed kunai. The memory of the cold metal almost lodging itself in her flesh, sent a fresh chill down her spine…maybe she should just return to Garfiel's and hope the Elrics showed up there alive?

Ling took several steps in the direction he had indicated before peering back over his shoulder as he realized his companion was still rooted to the spot he had teased her in moments ago, that ever-present grin lighting his features,

"Hm, is something wrong? Let's hurry, Mother. I'd hate if we missed out on all the fun."

* * *

Tianxian and Ling heard their voices before they saw their bodies. It was impossible to mistake Edward's tenor voice, and they followed the agitated sound through the clearing smoke and debris. The two came to a standstill as Tianxian's jaw fell open.

Lan Fan and Fu, two warriors that Tianxian considered to be the creatures of nightmares, were completely incapacitated. Meanwhile, discounting a detached metal arm, the Elric brothers stood unscathed.

 _Just who the hell have I been travelling with?_ , The consort warily asked herself.

Still awed, the much less dumbstruck Ling pulled Tianxian along by the wrist, and decided to make their presence known, "Okaaaay, good work guys!"

Stiffening, Edward slowly turned his head back to level a sneer directly at the prince, "Why you…what're you so chipper about?" – He then focused his golden gaze on Tianxian, who had painfully twisted Ling's arm to make him release her wrist – "…and just where in the hell have you been?!"

"Pillaging the town," She responded with a deadpan expression. "Asserting my dominance, and lavishing in stolen riches."

"YOU WHAT?! I turn my back for ten minutes, and you—"

Ling interrupted Edward with a chuckle, "What she means is that we've been eating pie—"

This time it was the Yao Clan heir's turn to be interrupted as Tianxian added, "On your tab."

"You guys have got some pretty impressive skills. I know, why don't you come and work for me, and together we can take over this country? What do ya say?" Ling chimed in again before Edward had time to rage about his "borrowed" money.

"Oh no," Tianxian growled, stepping up to jab a finger at Ling's chest while her other hand rested haughtily upon her hip, "Those two are my peasants, not your's. They are here to serve **me** , and gain **me** audience with the Furher. Just like a Yao Clan dog, stealing what is not their's."

Tianxian could hear Lan Fan shouting obscenities in the background, but chose to ignore it as she set her resolute gaze upon the blond alchemist and the suit of armor, "Heathen and oddly dressed brother of Heathen, tell this avaricious slouch that you both belong to me."

"We belong to no one!" Edward screeched, marching forward and brandishing his detached arm at the two Xingese foreigners, "I have had enough of the idiotic chattering coming from the both of you! Just go back to Xing!"

"Look! There they are!"

The peculiar grouping of illegal immigrants and Amestrian citizens halted their arguing to look on at the crowd that had gathered nearby. A sea of angry faces being aimed their way set them all at unease.

"Look at the mess you've made! You practically destroyed our town!"

"You're covering the damages!"

"And your restaurant bill, too!"

Edward gulped as he backed away from the crowd with jerky steps, "H-hey! Wait, j-j-just hold on a second, this guy and his little entourage should be paying for everything!"

The dark of eyes of Ling and Tianxian met, and for the first time since their encounter, the two made an unspoken agreement with one another: to work together to act their way out of paying the bill.

Tianxian began chattering in loud, obnoxious Xingese. She set her face into a manic expression while bowing repeatedly and flailing her arms. Crocodile tears welled in her almond-shaped eyes as she attempted to look at pitiful as possible.

Next to her, Ling was doing some odd dance while uttering in horribly broken Amestrian as his voice cracked from the high pitched tone he had taken on, "So sorry, I no understand much language of this country!"

Suddenly, Tianxian felt a warmth around her waist, and it took her a moment to realize the arm belonged to Ling as he shimmed them back towards the edge of the debris field, "Okay, bye-bye now!"

The wind rushed by the pair as they engaged in a freefall down to the ground. Instinctively, Tianxian wrapped her arms and legs around Ling with a strength that nearly snapped his ribs in half. They landed upright, without injury, and Ling let out a shaky laugh as the girl detached herself from him and air reentered his screaming lungs.

Adrenaline still pumping, Tianxian surprised herself when she grabbed the prince's hand, and took off at a neck-breaking speed as Edward's indignant cries of outrage faded as they gained more distance. Despite her best efforts, Tianxian was unable to keep a euphoric smile from surfacing at the corners of her lips. Even if she was put under extreme torture she would never admit it, but she was fighting hard to keep a laugh from bubbling out.

Fun. She was having fun. Had she ever felt this free before?

The raven-haired boy easily kept pace with the girl urging him forward as she made complicated twists and turns throughout the town, his natural grace allowing him to easily change direction on the spot.

To say he was gobsmacked would have been an understatement. Though he couldn't claim to be an expert on the behavioral habits of Tianxian Shi, Ling knew that it was the first time he had seen her drop that faux haughty façade and genuinely enjoy the exhilarating feeling of just being alive. She was a sight to see.

Her short hair flew behind her, swinging to-and-fro as it just barely brushed the collar of her cheongsam. He was scarcely able to see the side of her face, but what he could see, her cheeks were flushed from exertion and her eyes twinkled with childlike delight.

Tianxian Shi was not the typical ethereal beauty that Ling had come accustomed to seeing meekly decorate the halls of the palace like his mother did. No, she was not disarmingly gorgeous. No, she was not the image of elegance. No, she was not the epitome of loveliness by any means.

But, she was imperfect, and human, and so, so alive, flourishing with untamed youth and blooming in reckless vivacity. And that, that held a stunning quality all its own. For a split moment, he was enchanted.

So, he gripped her hand a little tighter, and without so much as a second thought, allowed her to lead him down a burgeoning path of new, and potentially risky, possibilities.

Too bad, it was that exact moment that Ling's stomach chose to make itself known once again, causing the young prince to lurch forward and knock heads with Tianxian sending then both spiraling into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **That's a wrap! Hopefully Tianxian has become a little more relatable, a little more human. The next chapter will be a flashback to their time together in the desert...it's...interesting to say the least, ha. :)**

 **That being said, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! The reason it took me so long to squeeze this chapter out is, because I am also writing another fanfiction as the moment as well. It is a Greed/OC fic set a hundred years before the main storyline. Ever wonder why Greed defected from Father after a hundred years of service? Curious as to why he has a policy against telling lies? Speculated why the 'Ever Avarious One' seems to hold no superiority complex over humans? Find out the answers to these questions and more by following the short life of Nadine Huntly, a spirited Amestrian Military Academy student, whose insatiable curiosity for all things supernatural might have just caused her to bite off a bit more than her tender years can chew. Let me know if you all would be interested, the prologue is already up under "Ode to Forgotten Histories". :)**

 **A ROUND OF MUCH APPRECIATED THANKS TO: Thanks to Pinkablu, JellOtaku, and AmateurWriter120 for favouriting last chapter! Thanks to ShadowSeraphin, ****Cow-Lover2214 , AmateurWriter120, and No.1DigiBakuFan for following last chapter! A huge, mega, ultra shout out to mun3litKnight for reviewing once again, you give me the much needed encouragement to carry on to another chapter. Please follow their shining example. :D **

**You know the drill: favorite, follow, and REVIEW (my little heart desires to hear from you all, please don't break it by giving no response)!**

 **Much love,**

 **pseudo ~**


	5. Runaway Bride I

**Sorry that it has been a few weeks since I updated! I'll explain more at the bottom. Obviously I don't own FMAB, or I'd be rolling in a money pit rather than writing fanfiction. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Five:**

 **"Runaway Bride I"**

* * *

 _Two and half months prior…_

* * *

Throughout Tianxian's life, she had thought of numerous, though mostly not implausible, ways she could die.

Some of which included, being crushed under the palace, being strangled in broad daylight, being trampled by overzealous common people expressing their admiration…the list could go on. However, she had never once considered the fact that she might possibly die of a combination of thirst and heatstroke while stranded in the middle of the desert miles from civilization, or that she would be wearing her bridal robes in the amidst of it all.

And yet, here she was.

"What a savage and undignified way to die," Tianxian grumbled to herself.

Currently she was laying belly down in the sand, grabbing fistfuls of granules in an attempt to drag herself further. The relentless sun beat down upon her prostrate figure. After sweating buckets for hours, by now the girl had reached the point of dehydration that she no longer had any more fluid left in her body to perspire. However, the silk of her bodice was still sticky with the last vestiges of her sweat, and clung awkwardly to her middle. The leftover moisture was almost soothing.

When did she get here?

Why had she decided to do this?

How had she ever thought this would turn out successfully?

Oh, right. _Desperation._

When faced with insurmountable obstacles and limited options of escape are presented, suddenly the craziest of plans seem all the more inviting. _That_ was how she ended up here.

Perhaps, this was not the best, or even the most well thought out, decision the concubine had ever made. Not that she would ever willingly admit that to anyone. Heavens, no. She had a pride that bruised like a peach.

If she should survive this, and if anyone asked, then she would regale the fact that she had chosen to travel the desert by foot in nine layers of ceremonial garb without provisions as the most strikingly brilliant idea that had ever graced a mind on this earth.

But, she was not out of the desert, nor was anyone around for her to put on airs for. So, just for this once, Tianxian confessed in the secrecy of her own mind that she was, indeed, a hapless fool.

"This is it. This is the end for me. How plebian of a way to expire," the young escapee mumbled into the sand. Even in her debilitated state she could not find it in her to drop her typical snobbish demeanor.

The girl's vision blurred, blacking in and out as she realized that she was on the precipice of unconsciousness. The corners of her lips were dried and cracked, caked with tiny granules that prodded at the sensitive skin. Sores littered the palms of her hands and the balls of her bare feet, stinging with a renewed vigor each time she dragged herself across the sand with shaking arms. Navy eyes shut unable to focus as Tianxian came to terms with the fact that the remainder of her strength was rapidly leaving her body.

One last push.

That was all she had left in her.

This was it, the end.

A last hurrah.

Mustering what was left of her waning might and once indomitable will, Tianxian placed her blistered hand firmly against the ground and shot forward as far as her meager heave would allow. Following the push, her weakened arm immediately gave way under the pressure of her full body weight, and her nose was buried deep within the sand as her other hand was still outstretched towards the hope of salvation.

Bright lights flashed behind the concubine's closed eyelids as a searing white hot pain surged across the bridge of her nose. Undoubtedly, her crash had broken it. She could already feel blood beginning to pool on her upper lip.

However, it was not the feeling of tremendous ache that overwhelmed nearly all of her senses that held her attention. Rather, it was the fingertips of her outstretched hand that buzzed with nerves lit alive with feeling. For, for the first time in many days it was not sand that she felt beneath her extremity.

 _Hard?_

 _Smooth?_

 _Flat?_

Tianxian ran her fingers over the unknown surface with all the purposeful care that one would caress a lover with.

 _It must be a stone_ , she surmised lifting her head the slightest bit to gaze blearily as what her hand was touching.

Her intuition had not led her astray. The hand was, in fact, resting upon a stone. A cobblestone, to be exact, and there were many more running in an interconnecting, weaving pattern alongside it. A road. She had found a cobblestone road.

Ignoring the stream of blood that trickled down from her nose and along the sides of her face to sluggishly drip from her small chin, Tianxian's hazy vision took in her new surroundings. Just through the swirling airborne tufts of sand she could make out limestone columns. Some cracked in half, others severely battered with age.

She tried to blink away the image, thinking it was merely a heat-induced mirage playing tricks on her mind. However, the stone road and tall pillars stood their ground, unmistakably real.

A single word filtered through the haze of a brain that was only moments away from descending into a condition of full out mental oblivion.

" _Xerxes_ ," the name tumbled from her tongue like that of an old, much missed friend as a feeling of irrepressible familiarity settled deep into her bones.

The revelation renewed just enough of Tianxian's strength to allow her to twist herself onto her back. A delirious chuckle escaped her arid lips, sounding much more like a desperate gasp for air than a sound of mirth. The tiniest of smiles made a home upon her mouth as flecks of flaking blood decorated her face.

Elation swelled in the girl's chest. She had made it to one of her destinations. Unfortunately, this looked like it would be both her first and last stop.

A hand that was an unnatural shade of sunburnt pink peaked out of gaudy crimson robes. Tianxian had reached out in one last attempt to assure herself that it was stone beneath her before she gave way to her speedily ebbing consciousness.

However, what she rested her hand upon felt neither of stone or sand.

Tianxian's head lolled to the side, choppy black tendrils clinging uncomfortably to her cheek as she turned. Her vision swam, but she could just barely make out that her hand had ended up being placed upon a black shoe. Wariness took hold of her as the traditional stealth combat garb of the Xingese Empire came into view.

Panic was set aflame throughout her entire body, prickling at every nerve ending.

 _Oh no._

They had come for her. To drag her back into the pits of Hell that awaited her in the bedchambers of the Emperor. It would seem that her impromptu escape and the resultant harrowing journey that followed had been all for naught.

An unrelenting urge to fight her way to freedom settled within her core, but was lost to the sharp pinging beneath her eyelids. The darkness that gripped her vision was too strong to resist, even the sudden surge of overpowering fear did nothing to combat the pull of unconsciousness. With the sound of rustling kunai and the shuffling of hasty steps as her sweet lullaby, Tianxian's world faded to black.

* * *

Lan Fan was an extremely shrewd young woman.

Her even calm was rarely ruffled, and very few things were lost to her perceptive gaze. So, when her prince bustled off to examine the ruins of the ancient city they had come across with her grandfather dutifully tailing him, she took the opportunity to investigate the slow moving red blob in the distance.

The bodyguard approached it with caution, a poison-laced kunai held at the ready. It was not until she was only several feet away did she realize that it was a person she was pursuing. A girl no older than herself, perhaps.

Just as Lan Fan took a step forward to check whether the girl was still alive or not, a bloodied hand gently brushed her boot and stalled her. With a carefully controlled expression, she watched as the girl slumped to the side, and gazed at her boot with hazy almond-shaped eyes. The stranger stiffened, seemingly alarmed by the mere sight of her boots, before her dark eyes rolled back and all consciousness was lost.

Though blood and open sores decorated much of her body, the warrioress could nevertheless determine that the girl was still very much alive.

Lan Fan's sharp eyes assessed the girl in one swift sweeping motion. With a single glance, she was able to effortlessly ascertain several identifying facts.

First, she noticed the shape of her eyes and the rich color of her raven hair, easily giving away to the fact that, like her, the stranger was of Xingese descent.

Second, her dark tresses hung at odd angles. Some clumps of strands were long enough to fall to her knees, while others looked as if they had been hastily whacked off at her collar. It was obvious that this was a quick cut job rather than some sort of peculiar fashion statement. The length of the longer strands revealed that the girl was most likely a noble, as it was only nobles who could afford the luxury of growing their hair to be so uselessly long.

Third, and most importantly, Lan Fan recognized the gaudy, unmistakable outfit that swallowed the girl's petite frame. They were traditional wedding robes, each of the nine layers meant to be discarded at various stages during the consummation night. The fact that the girl still had all the layers intact told the female bodyguard that the she had either never made it to her wedding or that she had disappeared not long after the ceremony.

However, the most identifying factor of all was that they were a vivid crimson in color. That could only mean one thing…

" _Shi Clan_." Lan Fan let out a guttural scoff.

It was a member of an opposing clan that lay prone at Lan Fan's feet. The girl was a noble, she was potentially a royal bride, she was of the Shi Clan, and all that made her dangerous to the young lord. It was her duty as a good retainer to eradicate this threat for him.

Disgust pooled in the female bodyguard's gut, as she drew herself into an offensive stance. Spinning the kunai around her finger before adjusting her grip, she skillfully lunged toward the Shi Clan bride.

Her attack, however, was brought to an abrupt halt when a hand encircled her weapon wrist, and a curious tenor voice cut the tense air.

"Oh my, what do we have here?"

Lan Fan startled at the sound of her master. The kunai fell from her lax grip, lodging itself in the sand between her boots. She clumsily reached for her mask to cover the flush on her exposed face.

"Y-Young lord! Well, I—" Lan Fan could not help herself from becoming flustered in Ling's presence.

Ling cut in before she could continue, that familiar closed-eye grin aimed her way, "What did you find, Lan Fan?"

With her mask now securely in place, Lan Fan regained her unflappable persona, and responded in a firm alto voice, "I have discovered a woman. Her robes clearly identify that she belongs to one of the noble houses of the Shi Clan. Perhaps, she is a spy or a disguised assassin, but undoubtedly an enemy."

The royal teen hummed to let Lan Fan know that he had considered her concerns as he bent at the waist to examine the stranger, his hands placed on his knees. Lan Fan warily looked on as a surprisingly serious expression rolled over Ling's features. His piercing eyes opened as he reached a hand out to brush the choppy black tendrils from the enemy girl's battered face.

A frown marred Lan Fan's brow as she noticed her lord's hand slightly falter as the girl's aristocratic features came better into view, and with a stern voice he addressed her with an urgent demand,

"Lan Fan, water."

The female retainer hesitated, unsure whether to heed his request or not, "My lord, that might be—"

"Fu, water." Without missing a beat, Ling beseeched his elder guard.

Lan Fan was less surprised by her grandfather suddenly materializing beside her than she was by the fact that her normally amiable master had dismissed her. Ling was typically only this authoritative when it concerned another life. It was at times like these that she saw his potential as a true leader.

Fu brushed by his granddaughter, bumping lightly into her shoulder as he murmured, "It is not your place to question your superiors. Remember that."

Chagrined, Lan Fan clenched her fists and lowered her gaze embarrassedly. She was thankful that her mask covered her self-conscious blush. Reprimanded by the two most important people in her life, both of whom happened to be her superiors, she truly felt ashamed.

"Young lord," Fu detached the water pouch from his waistband to hand to his charge.

Ling turned to straddle the nameless girl, water pouch in hand. Using his teeth, he quickly unraveled the sarashi wrap on his left wrist. He poured a bit of water across the girl's lip to wash the dried blood away, dabbing gently at her nose with the sarashi strip. Fearlessly, he reached forward, took hold of the thin but obviously broken nose, and snapped it back into place.

Wild eyes shot open as a screeching moan pierced all of their ears. Lan Fan dashed to her prince's side, ready to protect him from the potential threat he was poised over. She locked eyes with her grandfather, who stood in a defensive stance similar to her own.

Despite her years of intense training, Lan Fan was hardly prepared for the chaos that erupted next.

* * *

 _Was death supposed to be this painful?_

The inquiry drifted through Tianxian's mind. She would have thought that after living the precarious life she had led, that she would be more accustomed to the feeling of encroaching death. After all, it was not the first time that she lay on the cusp of oblivion.

However, all questions were answered as a horrible crunching noise filled her ears and a feeling of indescribable agony coursed through the concubine's skull.

The young woman's eyes jetted wide open, and an involuntary groan of distress ripped from her dry throat. Panic clawed its way into her chest, and her eyes madly darted around, attempting to find something that they could focus on. She could barely concentrate as waves of pain spread from her nose.

Finally, one important factor came into her vision. Someone, a young man it seemed, was straddling her waist, his ominous presence looming above her. More so than his face, a glint of sliver caught her eye.

A sword. He had a sword resting against his back. This man was a combatant, an enemy, a _threat!_

Without so much as a second thought, Tianxian lunged forward, looping her knees around the bare ankles of her adversary. Using all of her meager weight, she sent the man toppling over, so that their positions were reversed. Just before his back hit the sand, a trembling hand reached out and slid the sword from his back.

The heaving girl held the weapon awkwardly in her untrained hands. While she might have been a novice at sword play, the consort was still skilled enough to aim the point of the blade at the man's jugular. Though her hands shook from exerting a strength that she truly did not have left within her, her fierce navy eyes never wavered.

"Tell me who sent you, ill-bred lout?!" Though Tianxian was a barely audible rasp, the sneer held in her tone was quite clear.

There was something about the man beneath her that was strikingly familiar, but she could not place just where she had seen that peculiar looking face before. Had they once been acquainted? She was certain she would remember that airhead expression if she had. Perhaps he just looked similar to someone she did know. Regardless, alarm bells still rung in her mind.

He lay there with closed eyes, and a countenance that gave off an aura that was far too pleasant for someone who was at the wrong end of a weapon. A smile beamed up at her mangled face. He did not even so much as flinch when blood dripped from her chin down onto his tanned cheek.

" _Well?_ " Tianxian pressed the blade down further, irritated by his lack of response.

A nervous chuckle filled the air as the man spoke around his wide grin, "Now, now, let's not be hasty."

Insulted by the stranger's gall, the concubine tried to lean her weight forward when she felt a sharp prick at her own neck. It was only then that she realized two kunai were positioned at the perfect angle to lop off her head. From the corner of each eye she could see the dark shadow of a well-trained opponent on either side of her.

Tianxian dropped from her kneeling position onto her bottom, turning the sword to bury the blade partially into the sand. It now became a crutch rather than a weapon. With haggard breaths, she sent a heated glare at the delirious-looking young man.

She hoped the mere stare would burn him alive.

The scorned man sat up, his long dark ponytail falling over his shoulder. He did not even bother to wipe her blood from his face as he snapped his fingers, the pressure from the kunai disappearing from her neck. She did notice, however, that it took one longer to be removed than the other.

At the sound of him clearing his throat, Tianxian returned her attention to the odd man. He placed his hands inside the sleeves of his yellow shirt, and gave a swift bob of a bow. In a cheery voice he began,

"Let's start over, shall we? My name is Ling Yao. And, you are…?"

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading the fifth chapter of Just Another Playing Piece! I decided to divide the desert recap into two chapters. I'm a bit worried that this chapter was too boring since there wasn't much dialogue. Hopefully not, but I promise the next chapter will have A LOT of Tianxian-Ling interaction. Also, I apologize for a late update! I've been in the hospital for the last two weeks, and that slowed me down a bit. However, I'm out and recovering, so updates should come sooner. :)**

 **Additionally, I have a poll up on my profile page. Basically, I am writing two stories, and unfortunately, that takes up a good bit of time. Therefore, I will be updating one every week and the other once a month. Please go vote on which you would like for me to update weekly, so I know which to handle more expediently! Thank you.**

 **A BIG THANKS TO: Thanks to Copycat25, xmilotic, ShindaHinata-chan, and darkxXxflames for following last chapter! Thanks to JMichelleW, xmilotic, ShindaHinata-chan, and lovinurbuks for favouriting last chapter! A HUGE, HUGE thanks to mun3litKnight and to JMichelleW for reviewing last chapter! Your words of encouragement really helped me get through my struggles and work out this chapter. I appreciate all views this story gets, too. :)**

 **Please follow, favourite, and most of all review! Please keep my passion for writing this story going.**

 **pseudo ~**


	6. Runaway Bride II

**Oh, geez...it's been exactly a month since I updated. I'm so sorry for the long wait! Here we have the continuation and conclusion of the "Desert Recap Arc." Enjoy!**

 **A SUPER THANKS to Juliedoo and mun3litKnight for reviewing last chapter. This chapter is dedicated to you lovely people. ;)**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Six:**

 **"Runaway Bride II"**

* * *

 _Two and a half months prior..._

* * *

 _Ugh, so he's a Yao brat._

Tianxian turned her nose up in disgust as she eyed the young man who sat smiling across from her. Her breathing was haggard, and despite using the stolen sword as a crutch, she still swayed side-to-side. She was dangerously close to becoming unconscious again. At this point, it was only her enormous ego keeping her from passing out, because heaven forbid she fall on her pride and damage it.

"I am rather offended that you do not recognize me," Tianxian said, thankful that it was words that came out of her mouth instead of vomit.

Ling cocked his head to the side, his expression imploring, "Oh, really? Tell me. What have I missed?"

"Are you that low brow as to not recognize royalty?" The concubine rolled her eyes derisively.

"Ah, excuse me for not keeping up with the latest proceedings of the royal court. You could say that I have been a bit distracted as of late." The ebony-haired boy replied nonchalantly as justification for his seeming ignorance.

Tianxian made a sour face, obviously displeased with his lack of imperial knowledge. Well, it was her most sincere duty to correct that now, wasn't it? As a cultured woman of the court, she had a responsibility to educate the uncivilized and vulgar common people.

With that thought in mind, Tianxian began a proclamation that, unbeknownst to her at this time, would be repeated on countless occasions, because despite her inflated sense of self-importance, very few people knew who she was or would even respect her title once they did,

"I am the two hundred and sixteenth heir to the illustrious Shi Clan, newlywed royal concubine of the current Emperor. Now that you are aware that you are in the presence of royalty, you no longer will have to fight the urge to bow at my feet. My name is Tianxian Shi, but to make it more comfortable for you, you may call me Your Royal Highness, Lady Shi."

Silence permeated the group. Blank expressions decorated three out of the four faces, though only one was visible. Even the wind seemed to have dulled in a comedic pause.

Tianxian's frown deepened further. These people were obviously imbeciles. First not to recognize that she was the most recently crowned imperial consort, albeit she had made a mad dash for it not three hours after their union, was somewhat understandable. But, to not properly fall at her feet once her title was flashed, that was inexcusable.

"Hmpf. Well?" The disgruntled girl growled out from between clenched teeth.

Laughter. Boisterous, unrestrained laughter assaulted Tianxian's ears. Ling Yao clutched his stomach as a bout of uncontrollable chuckles escaped from deep within him. Tears sprung to his eyes, his face turning red from lack of oxygen.

Attempting to look as intimidating as one could with a broken nose, Tianxian snapped, "I hardly see the humor in this situation."

The mirth filled boy quieted to a soft titter, "Ah, forgive me. It's just that this is all much unexpected. It is an honor to have the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with a lady of the court. Don't you think so, Lan Fan, Fu?"

Two shadows passed from behind Tianxian to stand next to a crouching Ling. The battered girl observed them warily. The pair was clad in the traditional combatant uniform of her home country, the dark clothing stood stark in comparison to the light sandy hues that served as their backdrop.

There was something about their stance that struck Tianxian as odd. Something about the way the two flanked the boy who had introduced himself as Ling. The mask-wearing pair were turned just the slightest towards him, chins almost unperceptively bowed. The way they carried themselves was almost…subservient. More like bodyguards than companions.

Then it dawned on her. Companions that are submissive. The phoenix starburst embroidery woven into his silken shirt. The minutest lilt to his speech. Those familiar-looking angular features that made her nauseous. Without a doubt, these all could only add up to one thing.

"I see now. You are right. This is rather unforeseen. It appears that we are two royals crossing paths in the desert. How unusual. Now answer me this, which child in the lineup are you?" Though her eyebrows rose in surprise at the revelation, Tianxian's tone was thoroughly disparaging.

One of the bodyguards sent a kunai whizzing by her shoulder. She felt the cold steel rip through several layers of her bridal robes, leaving the left sleeve hanging precariously by a few threads. If she had, had any fluid remaining in her body, Tianxian would have been embarrassed to say that she would have wet herself from the close call. She was particularly attached to maintaining both of her arms, and did not feel the desire to lose one anytime soon.

"How dare you speak to Master Ling in such a way! A lowly consort is inferior to a prince of the royal court!" The indignant shout resonated from behind the mask with the Yin sign etched on the forehead. The voice was undeniably female.

The other bodyguard whose mask held the Yang sign, in a much older sounding and decidedly male voice, chastised, "Stand down, Lan Fan! The Young Lord has not given us orders of attack."

Meanwhile, the young prince that was the center of all this attention crossed his legs with his elbows balanced on his knees and his face resting in the palms of his hands. From the moment Tianxian had opened her eyes, his unsettling grin had never faded. It almost seemed like he was enjoying the novelty of the situation.

Both bodyguards looked towards their charge in anticipation of his order. Yet, no order ever came, and he did not even spare a glance at their quibbling. His dark eyes, which were just opened a fraction of an inch, seemed resolutely trained on Tianxian.

Typically, when a young lady had the great fortune of catching the eye of a fetching prince, they would more likely than not describe the feeling in their stomach as butterflies. An anxious, but pleasant sensation. However, Tianxian fell into the later "than not" category. Instead she would describe the feeling of having Ling's gaze on her more like a nest of angry hornets set free in her gut. Completely disagreeable.

"My, the women of the Shi clan appear to be quite the adventurous sort," were the words Ling broke his contemplative silence with, "I'm curious. Are all Shi women this gregarious?"

Tianxian snorted rather unladylike, "I would not know. As the non-official head of the Shi Clan, I have been sequestered from the normal dealings of my clanswomen for quite some time."

"I suppose that I could say the same for myself. Though, since you seem to be in dire straits, how about I offer you a deal?" Ling suddenly suggested taking the girl, as well as his bodyguards it seemed, by surprise.

"A deal?"

Ignoring Tianxian's apparent look of shock which quickly rearranged itself into calculated suspicion, the cheeky prince continued, "Yes. A deal, a pact, a contract, a treaty, a transaction, an agreement…whatever you may wish to call it. However, before I make any agreements, I need a few answers from you.

Seeing as you are lacking in any manner of provisions and you appear to have been desperate enough to leave in your wedding robes, I can assume one of two things. The first, you made an unplanned escape sometime briefly after your nuptials with my father. He is not exactly what I would call a caring man, so I can understand your distaste for such a husband.

Or the second, you have been forcibly kidnapped. However, since there seems to be a startling lack of shady characters in the area, I can only conclude that you have wound up in the middle of the desert based on my first assumption.

Or, I could be wrong altogether, and it could be like Lan Fan suggested to me earlier. You are a spy or an assassin. This would be the most unfortunate possibility for you. So, humor me, will you? Which option are you?"

 _What a fox. He was only playing the fool,_ Tianxian realized as the prince looked imploringly at her.

She had misjudged him. While he did appear to be a jovial sort of person, Tianxian could now ascertain that cheeriness was part of an elaborate false persona. Perhaps, not so much as false as it was misleading. His chirpy attitude was quite genuine. It was just manipulated in a fashion that deliberately drew attention away from his innate astuteness.

Tianxian weighed the words in her mouth, unsure just how much of her plans to give away to insure her safety, but eventually spoke,

"To assume that I am a spy or an equivalent thereof is only to flatter yourself, Yao brat. You are just one of many vying for the seat of Emperor. There are your siblings whose names I do not have to ask for, yet know. When you in comparison have to tell me yours and of your undiscovered greatness. Do you honestly think that the Shi Clan has the resources to waste targeting a low ranking whelp like you? Nevertheless, the matters of clan warfare no longer pertain to me. I seek asylum beyond the borders of Xing for personal reasons, you could say."

The concubine felt the bodyguards bristle at the clear insult. Regardless, she paid them no heed, she only had eyes for the young prince sitting before her. She knew if the master posed no threat, then his guard dogs would have tuck their tails and stand down.

"My, I do believe that this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black." Ling mused, unperturbed by her slight, "Even though you have told me who you are, I still lack understanding of where your sense of pride comes from. After all, just as you so eloquently said, I am one of many. The irony is, so are you. What I can ascertain, though, is that you pose neither myself nor my traveling party any threat."

Tianxian wanted to strangle him for his imprudence. It wasn't that he was wrong. In actuality, he was very right. The problem was that he had hit too close to the truth, and that made her very edgy.

"Well, now that we've cleared that up," the insufferable prince began again, "my offer. My retainers and I are headed to a country in the west, Amestris, for… _personal reasons, you could say_. At this rate, it is a certain fact that you will die here, and it would be terribly ungentlemanly of us to leave you stranded in the middle of the desert. I suggest that you travel with us at least until we cross the border. We can offer necessities and protection.

Now, as for your end of the deal, when I eventually make my proposal for Emperor, I require the allegiance of the Shi Clan. Upon my request, you return to Xing for an unspecified amount of time to quell any uprisings in your clan, and encourage your people to pledge loyalty under the Yao Clan heir taking bid for the throne, that being me. Seems like a fair trade, hm?"

"And, just why should I trust you?" The concubine drawled skeptically, the irritated expression on her face clearly spelled that she was expecting a lackluster answer.

Ling lifted has head out of his hands to cock it slightly, seemingly confused by her suspicion. In a light voice he responded, "Why, because we're family, of course."

Silence passed through the grouping once more before a proverbial bomb detonated.

"Are you demented?! How have you deluded yourself into thinking that you and I have any sort of relation to one another?!" Tianxian bellowed to a completely unaffected Ling.

"Well, you are my mother, aren't you?" The boy in question shrugged.

A thin eyebrow twitching and a vein bulging at her temple, "Your…mother? Do I look like I gave birth to you?!"

"Of course not. My mother is much more beautiful." He said it with a flippancy that sounded factual rather than purposely insulting. "But, since you are married to my father, that would technically make you my st—"

"Step-mother? You could have me killed and reincarnated a thousand times over, and I would still never play mommy to the likes of you!" Tianxian interrupted, the repulsion clear as day in the inflection of her voice and by the way that she had subconsciously shifted her upper body away from him.

Ling easily waved away her ire and directed their conversation back to the main point, "So, what do ya say? Deal?"

Really? He was still stuck on this utterly insane idea that she would suddenly somehow shift allegiances and side with a Yao? Not only a Yao, but one that was in line to attain the emperorship? Oh, but Tianxian's horror did not end there, because not only was he a Yao with imperial roots, but he was a Yao with imperial roots _and_ a pretentious asshole.

She opened her mouth to firmly decline, when suddenly her stomach twisted and bile mixed with stomach acid burst forth from her lips.

Oh, so there was that vomit she was expecting earlier. Here to make a spectacular late entrance.

Tianxian's palms had become too clammy, and her grip on Ling's sword slipped. Without the weapon holding her up, she slumped to lay on one side, face partially buried in the sand. Raspy heaves escaped from her lungs as her chest rose up and down from exertion. The adrenaline that had fueled her body since she had awoken was spent, and a new level of exhaustion that was far worse than earlier settled into her being. It was a type of weariness that incased her straight down to the very core.

"You are dying."

Though her body was weakened, the fire was still there in her eyes as her eyes shifted to take in the person whom had spoken. It was the man wearing the Yang symbol mask. He had moved forward to hover just to the left of her prone figure, the mask hanging around his neck to reveal a grayed mustache and an assortment of hard-earned wrinkles adorning his face.

"I recognize the signs. You have heat exhaustion that obviously has been coupled with severe dehydration," the man Tianxian believed she had heard Ling refer to as Fu continued, "You have pushed your body passed its ability to maintain proper homeostasis. First, your stomach will attempt to purge itself, which we see has already occurred. Next your kidneys will cease to function, and then your breathing will shallow. If you do not receive the proper attentions soon, I say you have until sunset at the latest."

Then the female bodyguard stepped forward unannounced, but did not remove her mask, "Stifle your pride, Shi girl. It would be wise to weigh your situation before you speak."

Tianxian knew she was closer to death than she would like to admit. After all, it was not the first time she had felt this sensation, the odd feeling of one's soul beginning to detach from their body. It was her shear egotism that was keeping her alive at this point, however, it was that same vanity that was currently keeping from accepting the prince's enticing offer that just might save her life. Was she truly so shallow as to stake her life on an errant strain of narcissism?

Again Ling leaned forward to encompass the entirety of the girl's view, "Let's help each other."

It was the time for decisions. Now or never. Her life depended on it. She had higher ambitions that needed fulfilling, and now was not the occasion to falter in the face of what she had already so desperately fought to obtain.

"Yao brat," her voice was barely more than a mumble, but the clan heir still heard her despite this, "bring me to the Amestrian border, and then I will accept your deal."

Ling's smile shrunk for a fraction of a second before it returned brighter than ever, "A deal it is, then. Oh, Mother, I am absolutely ecstatic that you have finally come to your senses!"

Tianxian was completely unprepared to have the young lord launch himself full force at her frail frame. Though she was laying down, he still clutched her shoulders pressing the full length of his body against her, and excitedly rubbed his cheek against the side of her face.

"What an honor it is to have Mother accompanying us! I was just thinking earlier how I was missing a mother's touch. ~"

The way Ling's voice dipped mischievously at the end of his sentence was not lost on Tianxian, the innuendo far from being hidden. A shout of retaliation rose in her throat, but quickly died as the prince's arms snaked around her back and two fingers innocently pressed against a pressure point in her neck. That son of a…

Just before her consciousness scattered to the wind, Tianxian was sure she heard Ling whisper, "Nothing personal. This is just to make our travel go by more swiftly. Oh, and the answer to your earlier question…I am number twelve."

Again oblivion washed over her mind and everything was lost to the encroaching darkness.

* * *

 _Present..._

* * *

When Tianxian awoke this time, she was relieved to see that no one was looming over her. However, this was probably because she was hanging upside down slung over a broad shoulder. It was a strange position to wake up in, though not the first time she had been in it either.

She looked down half expecting to see the cured leather of Lan Fan's body armor, but was instead greeted with a face full of purple shirt. With each step the person took, she face planted against a solid back. As if her head wasn't pounding to begin with.

The young woman took a moment to gather her thoughts in an attempt to decipher how she had gone from the middle of the desert to being carried through a brick alleyway. Whimsical humming caught her attention. She twisted her torso to peer at the back of the head belonging to the person whom was manhandling her through the streets. Immediately she recognized the curl of black hair that twirled out just in front of his ear, and she paled.

 _It is the owner of that automail shop that the heathen alchemist used earlier…_ Tianxian though miserably.

Now she realized why she was being slammed against his back every step. It was because rather than walking cautiously, Garfiel was prancing through the streets to the tone deaf tune that he was humming. She wasn't sure how she had managed to miss the sparkling rainbow that seemed to trail behind them with every skip.

Tianxian wrinkled her nose in disgust. Now she remembered. She had been running through the city to escape the rage of that pintsized blonde Amestrian after skipping out on the pie bill. She had just managed to round a particularly sharp turn in between two merchant stalls when something had collided with the back of her head knocking her unconscious right then.

That meant that the memory of her time in the desert had just been on replay in her dream. Even in her sleep she could not break free from the stifling presence of a certain irritating Xingese prince. To her that made it more of a nightmare than a dream, really.

But, wait, hadn't that same insufferable Yao brat been with her then, too? So where…was…he…?

Her eyes immediately flew to the tight grip around one of her hands. For someone who prided themselves on attention to detail, Tianxian felt like a complete moron for not noticing that Ling himself was slung across Garfiel's other shoulder in very much the same position that she was in. He appeared to still be unconscious, and Tianxian deduced that the two must have bumped heads landing them both knocked out cold and now in the flamboyant clutches of Garfiel.

Yet, that was not what caught her attention. It was his hand that encased her own hand that was her focus. Even in unconsciousness, he still held her hand just as he had when they were fleeing through the town earlier.

Tianxian snapped her head the other direction, a blush coursing through her veins all the way from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes as her face evolved into an unattractive grimace. She snuck a hasty peek back at Ling's peaceful expression, but just as quickly shifted her eyes away from him again as her heart skipped a few necessary beats.

What the concubine did next, she would never admit even under the threat of death.

Just ever so slightly she allowed her fingers to loosely curl around the palm of Ling's hand, tightening her grip against his.

She wasn't quite sure why she did it in the first place. Perhaps, because he looked so innocent without that mischievous smile decorating his face? Perhaps, because he was a symbol of home, which she missed greatly despite having run away from, in a faraway land? Perhaps, because for once someone was holding onto her as if she were truly valuable?

Regardless of the reason behind her actions, Tianxian thought,

 _Just this once, you idiot prince. Just this once._

* * *

 **That's a wrap for the "Desert Recap Arc." As you all can tell there is still much left to tell about the shenanigans of Tianxian and the Xing crew from their desert adventures, but not in this story. Would you all be interested in a separate series of one-shots about those adventures? Let me know and I'll see what I can do. :)**

 **Thanks for reading the sixth chapter of Just Another Playing Piece! Hopefully you all enjoyed Ling and Tianxian being sass masters to each other. And, oh? What is this? Is our self-righteous little Tianxian beginning to have a crush on our favorite goofball? Hmm...**

 **A HUGE THANKS TO: Juliedoo, Loving-you-is-a-crime, RedSoleil, Synodic, The Name Is Greed, TheWeepingWillow555, Z0mbieMart, kitcat93, oxCuteKataraox, and xYandere Senpai for following last chapter! , Juliedoo, Minerva Nargles, SearchingTheSkies, and Z0mbieMart for favouriting last chapter! a special shout out to Juliedoo and mun3litKnight for reviewing last chapter! Your support is always appreciated. :)**

 **Please follow, favourite, and most of all review! Please keep my passion for writing this story going.**

 **pseudo ~**


	7. Concubine in the Capital

**As I'm sure you've all figured out...I, most unfortunately, don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, or I would have been sued for taking such a long hiatus.**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Seven:**

 **Concubine in the Capital**

* * *

"Wake up, you imbecile!"

For the better part of a half hour, Tianxian had been hard at work attempting to extract the hand of Ling Yao from strangling her palm. Her patience, which was already near non-existent to begin with, had all but fled from her body. Any warm feeling she had previously held towards the prince holding her hand disappeared as her fingers settled into an unnatural shade of blue.

The concubine's eyebrow twitched angrily as she sent her fury blasting full force at the other occupant of the room, "Well, what are you just standing there for? Help remove this oaf from me!"

Garfiel, startled at the demand, squeaked a bewildered, "Oh my!" before prancing over to provide aid. He gave a quick tug on Ling's wrist, which did not budge, then turned to Tianxian with an expression that read, _I tried my best_.

"Food. _Now_." The girl ground out from behind a vicious set of bared teeth.

"Oh?" Garfiel blinked at the sudden change in subject, "Well, what would you like?"

Tianxian rolled her eyes, "I could care less. I just need something to wave in front of this moron's face."

The man, to his credit as ever the gracious host, skittered away to find something to appeased his less than polite guests. Moments later he returned with a scone and a cup of tea. He held them out for the young woman with a hopeful expression.

Without so much as a word, she hurriedly snatched the scone from the plate and rammed the confection in Ling's slightly agape mouth.

As if a switch was flipped, the lethargic prince began animatedly chewing, the natural olive tone of his skin returning, and his thin eyes popping open, "Mmmmmmph…~"

Ling nearly choked when Tianxian yanked the tip of his ponytail to get him to look at her. The concubine's expression was livid beyond all belief. Mighty armies would have fallen at her feet to free themselves from the heat of her ferocious glare.

Speaking through a mouthful of scone he greeted her, "My, wha a luffly e'pression you ave der, Mufer."

Without warning, the consort's face was a breaths away from his, their noses just barely brushing against one another, as she attempted to drill holes into his skull with her eyes.

"Yao brat…" The even calm of her voice clashing with her expression.

"Mmm…" Ling swallowed the remainder of his meal, "Yes?"

Tianxian closed her eyes and exhaled a shallow sigh, her breath fanning his cheeks. The young man went cross-eyed looking at the bridge of her nose. He could not help but to ultimately focus them on the slight bump on the bridge, recalling when he had nearly been decapitated by the woman before him after he had tried to reset it.

Suddenly her eyes were open.

And, for less than a single second, he thought he saw something within them. Something startling. Something that tickled his curiosity.

Was it…that emotion that shone so strikingly in her navy orbs for only the briefest of moments…was it... _fear_?

Then his arm was being twisted at an awkward angle and his eardrums popping as the concubine's shrill squawk filled the room.

"REMOVE YOUR HAND FROM MINE AT ONCE AND REFRAIN FROM TOUCHING ME FOR THE REMAINDER OF YOUR EXISTENCE, YOU ABHORRENT YAO CLAN MONKEY!"

Ah.

Perhaps, it was just anger Ling had seen in the young consort's eyes.

Nevertheless, he complied with her demand. Long, thin fingers slowly unfurled from her palm. When had he grabbed it in the first place?

"LOOK AT THIS!" Tianxian moved her face back to replace its space with purple fingers, "MY HAND IS SULLIED BY YOUR MERE TOUCH!"

Yes, it was definitely anger he had seen there.

The Yao heir gave a high-pitched chuckle choosing to ignore his countrywoman in favor of taking note of the individual cowering in the corner of the room, "Tell me, Mother, who is this handsome fellow?"

"Who? Me?" The shopkeeper immediately perked up at the compliment.

"Of course!" The prince grinned, releasing every iota of charm stored up within his body.

Tianxian was nearly blinded by the amount of natural-born charisma seeping out of the Yao heir, who she had just realized was much too close for her liking.

Garfiel blushed, twiddling his fingers in mock shyness, "Why, aren't you just the sweetest thing?"

"I am!" Ling positively beamed at the praise, his tone too cheery for such a pigheaded statement.

The man at the other end of the conversation winked, "Oh, I like you."

Ling agreed once more, "So do I!"

The raven haired girl stood slack jawed, gawking at the pair as they found a friend in one another and excitedly made small talk as they poured tea.

It was like the two men had forgotten her presence all together. _The audacity!_

Then that ever present grin was beaming out at her again, Ling's head tilted in an unasked question. He waved a hand at the third cup of tea sitting patiently before him.

"How many sugars would you like, Mother?"

Ire sizzled at the back of Tianxian's throat, the remainder of her indignant shout dying on her tongue. Though the troughs of anger still wrestled in her gut, a sigh made its way from her pursed lips.

Brow still furrowed, she took sluggish steps towards the table and muttered, "I am not your mother, idiot."

However, the young prince took note, the usual frustration was absent from her statement.

Nevertheless, she finally answered in a resigned voice, "Two, please."

* * *

"So…this is your capital? Not a beautiful as ours back home, but I'll take it."

A triumphant smirk played on Tianxian's lips as she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the early noon sunlight. Disembarking the train, a sense of relief flooded her being. Finally, some progress had been made.

Everything about this moment would have been great if the concubine hadn't suddenly found a trained kunai aimed at her aortal artery.

" _Shi wretch_ , what have you done with to the young master?"

Tianxian bit back a bark in Xingese, "I did not realize that I had been lowered to the status of his wet nurse. Correct me if I wrong, which I am not, I do believe that tailing the Yao brat is your job, right?"

Slowly, as if it truly pained Lan Fan to do so, she lowered the kunai before returning it to the pouch at her hip.

"Good dog," Tianxian simpered, gracing the crown of the bodyguard's head with a patronizing pat.

Lan Fan recoiled at the touch, but not before "accidentally" elbowing the higher class woman in the ribs.

With an air of disinterest the concubine watched as the two bodyguards took to skimming roofs tops in search of their master, who had jumped out of the compartment window the moment the train reached the platform, until they became black smudges in the distance. Turning her attention back to more immediate matters, she eyed the three Amestrian friends as they began laughing at the expense of the smallest of the bunch. Meanwhile, Tianxian stood alone on the train depot platform, a misplaced observer of the hustle and bustle.

Rather than fall into the melancholy that being alone in a crowd can sometimes inspire, the girl took the afforded moment to rehash the events of the last few hours in her mind.

Not long after Ling Yao of all people had coaxed her into enjoying late afternoon tea, the Elric brothers had reappeared at Garfiel's shop looking every bit worse for wear. After a fiasco in which the royal status of the fanciful prince was revealed, Edward finally connected the dots as to the reason behind Ling's reproachable nickname for her, "Mother." The pint-sized alchemist responded looking just as nauseated as Tianxian had always felt about the moniker.

Not long after that the automail mechanic girl, of which Tianxian had already forgotten her name, returned complaining about the mess she had most unfortunately been a part of that day. Following a series of blows, it had been decided that the group would set out for Central by train the following morning, thus leading the concubine to where she stood now at this particular moment in time.

"Hey," A grouchy, unmistakably recognizable voice called out over the din of the crowd, "You coming or what?"

Replacing her blank expression with one of practiced snootiness, Tianxian bumped shoulders with Edward as she passed him on her way out of the train depot, "Of course. I have certainly had enough of waiting on you lot. You doddle worse than Old Woman Bao, and she is a 102-year-old blind arthritic."

"Whatever," The blonde teenager shrugged, quickening his pace to match the concubine's swift stride, "The sooner we get you to the Fuhrer, the sooner we can escape your inflated ego."

Without turning her head, she glowered out of the corner of her eyes now that they were in step with one another, "Likewise, heathen."

Alphonse and Winry tailed the two, the former looking exhausted by the banter despite his never changing face and the later laughing nervously under her breath while a sweat drop eased its way down the side of her head.

"Wow. Don't they get along spectacularly?" The gear junkie muttered just loud enough for the armor next to her to hear.

Alphonse groaned, drawing a palm down the front of his helmet, "You have no idea. This is tame compared to three days ago."

"Really, now…" Winry scoffed in awe.

The younger Elric nodded, "Neither one of them are much on cordiality, or manners for that matter."

"Oi!" The shout resonated before the genial pair pulling them out of their chat.

Both Tianxian and Edward had halted midstride, and were looking over their opposite shoulders with suspicion.

Together they called out, "Do you have something you want to share with the class, Al/Armor Boy?"

"Oh! Uh…uh…" The suit of armor clinked with nervous tremors. "N-nothing! Nothing at all! Let's hurry on our way to Central Command, yeah?"

Winry did her best to try to stifle her giggles.

Appeased, the duo eyed their companions, one with a look of distrust and the other with a look of disdain, before they resumed their stride as well as their bickering.

Alphonse and Winry exchanged a glance…

It was going to be yet another long day.

* * *

Tianxian bounced on her heels nervously as she entered the plaza of Central Command flanked by her guides. Dark eyes took in the gray-stoned building looming ahead, lingering on the green pennants decorated with the insignia of the alchemists which littered the courtyard. The muscles in her calves twitched, resisting the urge to bolt as the gaggle of teenagers entered the building.

 _No turning back now,_ the consort ruminated as the soldiers just beyond the entrance gave her a rather thorough body search for concealed weapons.

Once cleared, Edward flashed his State Alchemist's pocket watch at the guards, "I am a State Alchemist, codename: Fullmetal, requesting an audience with the Fuhrer. I have a dignitary, Tianxian Shi, from Xing in my party. She needs to discuss receiving entrance to Amestris as a political refugee with Fuhrer Bradley."

The guards aimed suspicious glowers Tianxian's way, most likely recognizing her exotic clothing as non-Amestrian, but nevertheless, they acquiesced.

"I see…" The older of the two guards murmured, leading them towards a long stretch of elevators, "It's been quite a busy day for immigrants in the Capital. Not too much earlier, my partner and I picked a vagrant off the street while out on patrol."

Tianxian tuned in to the small talk, "Is that so? Try not to let the common foreign folk sully your view on immigrants. I assure you that I am a cut above the average droll you would find amongst the gutters."

"Right…" The man with the graying hair drawled at her haughty comment, "Anyway, this man's passed out in the middle of the street, doesn't have a cenz in sight, and claims to be the Prince of Xing of all things!"

The group paled considerably at the title, Alphonse and Winry exchanging worried looks while Edward and Tianxian attempted to remain as straight-faced as possible.

"Did you…Did you place this man in prison?" The raven-haired girl asked attempting to seem only mildly interested.

The guard nodded affirmatively, "The only proper place for an illegal alien."

Again, Tianxian spoke surprising her companions, "Pardon me if I am mistaken, but this individual sounds a bit like my," – she seemed to struggle with the next word – "…son."

"Your…son…?" He questioned skeptically.

Flipping the short strands of her bob cut, unwilling to get into an hour-long explanation of the royal family tree, "I look exceptionally good for my age."

"Uh-huh…" The guard responded clearly unconvinced, "Well, pending your meeting with the Fuhrer, I can see what can be done about your _son's_ release."

Tianxian gave a firm nod, anxiously picking at her cuticles.

Nausea settled in her stomach. What on earth had ever possessed her to arrange something beneficial to Ling Yao, the irritating prince who referred to himself as her devoted son? He was such a damned pain, and yet she had vouched for him. She ultimately chalked up her good will to karma. If she paid it forward here, perhaps Fuhrer Bradley would, in turn, do the same unto her.

She noticed the Elric brother's blonde friend looking her way, and immediately ceased her fidgeting.

The automail girl gave her an onceover before fitting an encouraging smile upon her lips, "I'm sure it will go well."

Tianxian spared her a glance as they entered the elevator together, "Yes, of course."

After that the group fell silent.

As the elevator attendant pulled the lever to raise the lift, the middle-aged guard called out, "I'll phone in your arrival. If the Fuhrer is unoccupied, you shouldn't have to wait more than a few minutes for entry."

Once they had reached the seventh floor, the attendant opened the safegate, and Tianxian walked out alone. She turned realizing her companions had not exited with her. She raised a brow in inquiry.

"I suppose this is where our paths diverge…" Though all three of the childhood friends stood shoulder-to-shoulder before her, Tianxian's eyes were solely focused on amber irises.

Edward shoved his hands deeply into his pockets, grunting out, "Yeah. Not a moment too soon if you ask me."

"I had no intention of asking," The raven-haired concubine scoffed, nose tipped in the air, "However, the feeling is mutual, I assure you."

Ignoring their squabbling, Alphonse chirped, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Shi."

Tianxian almost smiled at the suit of armor. "The pleasure is mine. You are infinitely more agreeable than your heathen brother."

"Okay, we're leaving!" Edward snapped, pulling the lift crank himself as Winry said her goodbyes through a repressed snicker.

As the concubine watched the elevator lower, a soldier stepped forward, "The Fuhrer will see you now, miss."

For once the girl seemed bereft of a snotty comeback as she simply bowed in thanks and briskly strode into the awaiting office she was ushered towards.

Once both feet had crossed the threshold, the large oak door was promptly closed behind her. Vision slowly adjusting to the dim lighting, she surveyed the room. Amongst the plush blue décor and mahogany furniture sat a middle-aged man with a posture so stiff she was sure that his spine must have been made from automail. Warily eyeing the mustachioed man's eyepatch, the concubine approached the person she considered to be her endgame.

"Miss Shi," The brunette man gestured to the single chair before his desk, "take a seat."

"I'd rather stand if it is all the same to you," She responded once she stood parallel with the chair.

A brief moment of silence passed before he nodded, "Very well. I am sure our customs differ."

A tightlipped smirk decorated her face as her only reaction.

Taking control of the meeting, the man she knew to be Fuhrer Bradley began, "I have been informed that you are a member of the Xingese royal court and desire to discuss matters of immigration with me?"

"Yes, about that…" Tianxian unbuttoned the top two fasteners of her cheongsam and pulled a piece of folded parchment from beneath the vibrant fabric, "I believe this will clear up a few questions."

The parchment was neatly folded though the corners were lightly curled, showing its age. It was yellowed, speckled with what appeared to be dried stains. When it reached Bradley's hand, it was warm from having been carried so close to her flesh for a considerable amount of time.

Without an ounce of gentleness, the man unfolded the parchment and scanned it with his unrestrained eye.

"I don't read Xingese, Miss Shi." His tenor gruff.

"Really?" Tianxian's short brows raised in surprise, "A pity considering Xing is your largest neighboring country, and you happen to be a world leader."

Bradley gave no reaction.

"I'd have thought a man your age would have had an ample amount of time to brush up on languages. Forgive me for my faux pas." She muttered plucking the letter from the Fuhrer's grasp.

The Fuhrer bit back a growl, attempting to remain unflustered, "Do you know just whom you are speaking to, Miss Shi?"

"Hm?" Tianxian looked up disinterestedly from reviewing the letter in her hand, "I am well aware."

Then her eyes briefly shone that odd topaz beneath their usual navy color.

"The question is, Fuhrer Bradley, do you?"

A silence passed between the two individuals. It was finally broken when Bradley spoke.

"Why are you really here, Miss Shi?"

"For political asylum from my tyrant of a husband, of course." The girl shrugged, "And, perhaps a bit more."

If possible, Bradley sat straighter in his seat. "Go on…"

"However, the second half of my business is a touch more delicate than the first, you see. Your poor grasp of world languages complicates the situation quite a bit. It would be a shame for the wrong pair of ears to overhear such fragile matters." She said a little too flippantly for the situation.

"Listen, girl," the Fuhrer barked out though his voice was evenly calm, "I am not the person to play games with, especially when you come asking for favors."

Tianxian muttered a curse in Xingese before her salacious expression fell, and a seriousness spread over her face. Weighing her options carefully, she came to a decision. She hated when all of her cards became disclosed, but…

In a voice that held no trace of her former capriciousness, Tianxian purred,

"Tell me, sir, have you heard of The Promised Day?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY! It's been nearly a year since I have updated this story, and I apologize to all you loyal readers that had continued to support and encourage me. That being said...how does Tianxian know of The Promised Day? Just who exactly is our haughty heroine? Merely an innocent concubine or something else entirely? More shall be revealed next chapter, and fear not Tianxian and Ling will be reunited soon.**

 **A BIG THANKS TO: Thanks to X** **.Creature. , Supreme Genrral Joker, Peaceful Watcher Soul, SongsofSiren, AsamiAiko, thatswhatbeesaid, twistedlittledoll, Roseoptic, and sesshy13** **for following last chapter! Thanks to X** **.Creature. , Supreme General Joker, Peaceful Watcher Soul, RichPauper, SongsofSiren, AsamiAiko, thatswhatbeesaid, twistedlittledoll, and sesshy13** **for favouriting last chapter! Thanks to** **mun3litKnight , Stacked Waters, BananaChips, thatswhatbeesaid, and Roseoptic** **for reviewing! Those reviews...you people are why I was determined to get this chapter out. Without your reviews, this wouldn't exist. Thank you so much for your support and love.**

 **Please follow, favourite, and most of all review! Please keep my passion for writing this story going.**

 **pseudo ~**


	8. And so the Plot Thickens

**Welcome back, all! I apologize for my year-long hiatus, and won't bore you with excuses. Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Just Another Playing Piece**

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **And so the Plot Thickens…**

* * *

The Fuhrer stiffened at the question, face as stoic as ever, "Explain yourself, woman."

Remaining uncharacteristically impassive, Tianxian spoke again as if speaking to a child, "Your country is in danger."

"I would suggest you stop speaking in riddles, Xing girl," Bradley rested his chin on his folded hands, "I find it exceedingly difficult to handle people of your caliber with a kind hand."

Tianxian stood gazing at the window thoughtfully as she weighed her options.

Finally, she murmured still looking away, "I do not know much, but I do know that there is someone who has ill intentions for the whole of Amestris. There is a…man…who desires to turn your country into a nation-wide transmutation circle, and transmute souls within it into…something."

"Tell me," Bradley spoke in his strong gruff voice, "Just who are you to know all of this?"

The girl snorted derisively. Of course he would question her legitimacy. Not that she could hardly blame him.

She supposed from his point of view, here was a foreigner, a royal concubine at that, ranting about how some apparently unseen megalomaniac was hell bent on using alchemy to destroy a nation known for its alchemic prowess with no proof other than her word. Not that her word was meaningless, Tianxian, for all her veils of deception, was an honest individual. Abrasively, so.

"I suppose that is fair enough to ask," Tianxian examined her nails rather nonchalantly, "Though I regret to inform you that I have no more proof than my word. I assure you that I am no liar…well, typically not anyway."

Bradley narrowed his one visible eye and gritted his teeth. The gesture was not lost on the young concubine. Sensing that this conversation was heading passed the point where she could steer it in her favor, Tianxian approached the Furher's desk with wary steps.

"Listen," Tianxian fiddled nervously with the paper she had handed over earlier, "I am unable to tell you how I know all this information without explaining the rise and fall of a nation and perhaps inducing you to question the meaning of life itself, but I have written here all that I know."

Bradley continued to stare back stonily at her, seemingly unaffected by her declaration, and brushed the parchment away.

"So, if you want to continue having a country to rule over, then you need to trust me when I say that alchemy could be its ruin. In exchange, I ask that you give me solace in your country, providing that you do something to save it knowing the information you have now."

Tianxian finished more haughtily than she had intended while attempting to maintain enough composure to hold his intimidating gaze.

A heavy air hung in the room for a pregnant moment. Finally, the Furher rose slowly from his seat. Once standing, he addressed her again.

"I have absolutely no reason to believe your preposterous accusations against the fate of this country. However, since you have already wasted my time as it is, I might as well humor you. You believe Amestris is being made into a nationwide transmutation circle…how so?"

Feeling herself grow faint underneath the weight of his attention, Tianxian ended up taking the seat she had denied earlier. She wiped her sweaty palms on her cheongsam. However, she had yet to break eye contact.

"I do not know in precise terms, but—"

The Furher interrupted, "I did not ask for an addendum. If you are unable to answer that, then might you tell me who is behind this proposed mass genocide?"

"Well, I am not exactly sure of that either, but my source of information is relia—"

Again her answer was interposed upon by a voice which should have sounded much more exasperated than it did smug, "Then what _do_ you know?"

Uncomfortable, all-encompassing silence. Had the girl not been so flustered, she might have noticed the barely perceivable smirk that curled around the Fuhrer's moustache.

"I know that your arrogance could spell the end of your people!" Tianxian snapped, red in the face, "I know that the only way to counteract any of this is to create an opposing array just as large. I know that this is all to occur next Spring during the solar eclipse. I know destruction is imminent, and if you are willing to keep an open mind I will thoroughly explain how I came to hold such information. And, I know that you will be sorely mistaken should you decide my claims be false."

The girl huffed in frustration taking long, measured breaths to calm her indignation. Her anger had been spiked by his accusations against her intellect. This man was attempting to make a fool of her, and Tianxian was never one who would sit idly by and see her reputation go down in flames.

"I see," Bradley seemed to cough out the statement reluctantly.

The Furher carried himself over to one of the windows that hung behind his desk. For a man his size his footfalls were incredibly light. Despite his age, he still moved quite agilely.

Once Tianxian was left with his broad back facing her as the man gazed out into the early evening sky, he spoke again in an eerily calm voice, "Well, you certainly have caused enough ruckus, Miss Shi. However, I will eagerly supply you with new accommodations in Central City."

Shifting uncomfortably in her set, the concubine eyed the Fuhrer as his hand drifted towards the saber at his waist. He carefully caressed its golden hilt before sliding the blade from its sheath. As he turned with his blade drawn, panic bloomed in her chest and fear seized her heart.

"I believe you'll find your grave to be very accommodating."

Tianxian did not even get the chance to scream for help before the tip if the blade flew towards her neck.

* * *

Lan Fan was at her wits end.

Her nerves were shot and her prince was nowhere in sight. Even though the Xingese guards had scoured every nook and alleyway of the city, they had yet to catch sight of the young lord. Though she was already prone to fits of hysteria where it concerned Ling's wellbeing, the guard was beginning to fear that some true harm had befallen him.

Currently, Lan Fan was perched upon a rooftop behind Central Command to catch her breath before resuming her search. Fu sat cross-legged several paces away attempting to sense the Dragon's Pulse to no avail. It seems that the only way they would find their prince is if he was aiming to be found. After all, he was rather ingenious when it came to escaping death and the like.

The unexpected sound of breaking glass garnered both of their attention. Fu flashed to his granddaughter's side. Together they peered at the looming fortress of Central Command, expecting to see the golden jacket of Ling suddenly make an appearance.

It was not their prince they found plummeting rapidly from the third story window of the building, but the figure was equally as familiar nonetheless.

"Grandfa—!" Lan Fan cried out in distress at the sight.

Before she had the chance to finish, Fu flung himself towards the quickly falling mass of crimson robes. By the time he reached his target, the tangle of robes had righted themselves and a second figure was descending from the shattered window. He landed emptyhanded beside the hunched form of his Xingese compatriot, Tianxian Shi.

Standing at her full height, navy eyes erratically surveyed their surroundings until they came to settle upon the elder bodyguard. When Lan Fan landed behind them an instant later, the gaze swung to her. The haughty concubine had never appeared so relieved to see members of the Yao clan. The relief, however, was near instantly replaced with an apprehensive grimace.

"Run, you fools!" Tianxian barked in Xingese as she tugged the pair forward by the sleeve.

The warning flap of an Amestrian military cloak as it rushed through the air and the sheen of sunlight hitting an impeccably polished blade spurred all three foreigners into action.

Lan Fan and Fu immediately took to hopping rooftops, leaving Tianxian to scurry from alleyway to alleyway. The girl was doing her best to keep up with the guards from the ground, but was beginning to fall behind. In an action she might later regret, Lan Fan swooped the concubine onto her back before bounding back up to the rooftops.

While neither were exactly a fan of the rival clan heiress, they would side with a fellow Xingese national, no matter how irreverent, over an Amestrian any day.

Although the female guard was unsure whom exactly was tailing them or why, she could feel an aura of ill intent nipping at their heels. She was hoping that they would be able to lose their pursuer in the cover of night. As the gentle tap of footsteps grew louder, her hope seemed to become more unlikely.

"I truly hate to be the one to suggest this," Tianxian voice murmured next to Lan Fan's ear, sounding abnormally flat, "but taking to the sewers might prove beneficial for us."

The last person Lan Fan wanted to take a suggestion from was Tianxian Shi, but considering their current predicament, she would let it slide. Spotting a manhole cover up ahead, the young guard shot passed her grandfather, knocking the cover away, and swiftly entered the sewers. Fu followed suit, replacing the cover as he descended below the cobblestone streets.

With baited breath, the three waited in anticipation as to whether they had managed to allude their hunter. After an extended period of silence, Lan Fan felt it proper to assume they had made it to a safe location. She made sure to commit the effectiveness of the sewage system to memory in case she ever came across a tight spot again.

She set her burden back down upon their own feet. Tianxian stumbled sightlessly, but managed to gain her balance in the sewage water. They all stood in the darkness unsure of their next move.

Fu was the first to break the silence, "Shi, would you care to explain just who you sent chasing us through the streets?"

One of them sloshed through the water.

"Well, that would be the leader of this country, I suppose." Tianxian grunted into the darkness, "Something dark is afoot in Amestris, and it starts from the top down."

Lan Fan expected the loquacious girl to continue, but it seemed she was done.

"Come," Lan Fan gestured despite no one could see the action, "We still need to find the young lord."

Following the faint call of the Dragon's Pulse, she set off into the cavernous expanse of sewage with her grandfather at her side and an exasperated consort flailing blinding behind.

* * *

Smoke signals.

A smoky sky was the first thing Tianxian noticed when the Xingese trio reemerged topside at the break of dawn. Though she was no expert, she was fairly certain that they were not something one would commonly see in a large city like Central. Thankfully, Lan Fan seemed to be able to interpret them easily enough, and brought them all to a neighborhood of condos desperately in need of a fresh coat of paint.

Lo-and-behold, in the alleyway behind one of the condos sat the Twelfth Prince of Xing himself.

Lan Fan immediately genuflected, "Prince!"

Fu copied her bow, "We've searched all over for you!"

"Hey, that was fast." Fanning the smoke from a fire pit, Ling took note of their arrival with a wide grin around his meal of roast fish.

Had Tianxian not been so frazzled by the events of the last few hours, she would have found the energy to roll her eyes with a mock bow. Instead, she shifted uncomfortably from foot-to-foot at their side. She felt out of place.

The prince blinked lamely as he sensed her disgruntled presence, "Ah, and Mother is here as well. Such a surprise!"

Tianxian raised a delicate brow, "The surprise here is you, Yao. Last word I caught of you, I heard you were rotting away in a jailcell indefinitely."

The prince's response was to laugh awkwardly, "Yes, well, I am an exceptional dealmaker, it would seem. Eastern real estate seems to be a commodity around here."

Tianxian shared a confused glace with Lan Fan when Ling suddenly pulled Fu away. They whispered for a few moments before Fu disappeared from sight, and the prince stumbled over towards Tianxian.

He pretended to trip over his own feet, and used it as an excuse to throw his arms around the girl's slender shoulders. Her wiry frame sagged under his weight. He took the opportunity to whisper into her ear.

"How did you get that neck injury?"

Tianxian stiffened.

Her fingers ran along the thin, pink line that circled her neck. I appeared more like an old scar rather than a new wound. It almost looked like her neck was healing from recently being decapitated. It was so light that, to notice it, it would have taken a great deal of perception.

Tianxian dodged his inquiry with a low warning, "Give up on that Philosopher's Stone business if you want to return alive enough to lead your people."

"Oh?" Ling twitched at the namedrop of his most pressing obsession.

Tianxian pushed against his chest and he obliged by taking a step backwards. Hands on hips, he looked her up-and-down curiously. She glowered sourly back at him.

"Is it my imagination or do I detect concern for me in your voice, Mother?" Ling grinned mischievously.

A beat of silence passed, before the concubine scoffed, "Your imagination, clearly."

The prince stepped forward and stooped to the small woman's eyelevel, "Ah, but you hesitated."

Tianxian reached up and tugged violently on the end of his ponytail.

"That was not hesitation!" She announced, "I was merely fighting down the urge to vomit at your suggestion, Yao brat."

Painstakingly, he pried her thin fingers from his hair. He turned to head into one of the apartments which he encouraged Lan Fan to enter with a flick of his wrist. After his female bodyguard's back vanished behind the door, he paused when his reluctant other companion spoke again.

"You have lived as a fool, do not die as a fool. I am certainly no admirer of yours, but I hardly want to attend your funeral pyre," Tianxian said in a low, obnoxious voice

Then, as if she had not spoken at all, Tianxian pointed her nose in the air and brushed past him into the apartment.

After a matter of moments, Ling followed her inside marveling at what a curious creature Tianxian Shi was becoming.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Once again, I apologize for my long hiatus. Life took a nose dive for me, and that affected my ability to write. It was cruel for me to leave you guys with that cliffhanger, although I'm sure this chapter led to more questions than answers.**

 **The reason this chapter exists is due to the Guest who left my a review recently that vastly encouraged me to pump this chapter out. Your reviews really do make a difference, and all of your continued support is appreciated. I hope this chapter made up for the long wait.**

 **Please follow, favorite, and review should you feel inclined to do so. Please keep my passion for writing this story going.**

 **pseudo ~**


End file.
